University of Pittsburgh, Fall Term 1998
Ben Eggleston, Instructor
Philosophy 0300—CRN 35193: Introduction to Ethics
mailbox: CL 1001—office: CL 1428E
Thursdays, 5:45 p.m. to 8:10 p.m., in CL 142
office hours: Tuesdays, 5:15–6:15, and Thursdays, 4:40–5:40
Internet: http://www.pitt.edu/~jbest3/Ethics.html
e-mail: jbest3+@pitt.edu

Quiz no. 2, make-up no. 3

October 8, 1998

On the front of this sheet of paper, answer each of the following questions. Provide a distinct answer for each question, numbering your answers as you proceed. Before turning in your quiz, fold this sheet of paper in half, lengthwise (i.e., so that the crease goes from top to botton, down the middle), and write your name on the back. Only answers written on the front will influence your grade, and nothing written on the front should reveal your identity.

  1. Why, according to Kant, is it a mistake to try to derive morality from examples of supposedly moral conduct?
  2. Why does Kant say that a person willing both (a) to make a false promise and (b) that everyone should freely do likewise is contradicting himself?
  3. What is the “end in itself” formulation of the categorical imperative?
  4. What explanation does Kant give for (what he sees as) the failure of previous attempts to discover the principle of morality?