University of Kansas, Fall 2003
Philosophy 672: History of Ethics
Ben Eggleston—eggleston@ku.edu

Final Exam

Please answer 150 points’ worth of the following questions in the next 90 minutes. Don’t answer every question; if you do, I’ll ignore your answer to the last 10-point one. In answering these questions don’t use books, notes, or other people.

  1. (20 points:) One of the central concepts in Aristotle’s Ethics is often translated into English with the word ‘happiness’. What is the meaning of this concept, and how does it differ from what people ordinarily refer to in English with the word ‘happiness’? What are two of the four misconceptions about happiness (as he understands it) that Aristotle is concerned to correct?
  2. (10 points:) Hume is known for denying the irrationality of certain preferences that are often thought to be paradigms of irrationality. What are two of Hume’s three notorious claims about not-irrational preferences?
  3. (10 points:) Kant thinks that common-sense morality is neither seriously flawed nor entirely adequate as it stands. In what way does Kant approve of common-sense morality (e.g., in what respect does he think it’s all right, or on the right track), and yet what important role does he think there is for moral philosophy to serve?
  4. (20 points:) Mill discusses two approaches to developing theories of morality: intuitionism and inductivism. Which of these does he advocate, and what are his two chief distinct (although Mill does not distinguish them very clearly himself) complaints about the other approach?
  5. (10 points:) What are the two senses of words like ‘ought’ and ‘should’ that Anscombe distinguishes?
  6. (10 points:) In what way, according to Anscombe, does the notion of moral obligation depend, for its meaning, on an approach to ethics that used to be prevalent, but that is now discredited?
  7. (20 points:) Aristotle and Hume both focus on the virtues. How do their ideas of what makes something a virtue differ?
  8. (20 points:) Kant is in certain ways a typical modern moral philosopher of the sort that might be regarded as starkly contrasting with an ancient ethicist such as Aristotle. What are some of the features of Aristotle’s thought and Kant’s thought that makes this statement true? In answering this question, you’ll want to draw on some of the differences between modern moral philosophy and ancient ethics that are discussed by Anscombe (and, if you want, Annas).
  9. (20 points:) Hume and Kant are both concerned with whether reason is capable of selecting certain ends or acts as rational, or whether such decisions—the selection of certain ends or acts as ones to be pursued or performed—must ultimately be settled by each agent’s passions or sentiments. How do Hume and Kant disagree in their answers to this question?
  10. (20 points:) Hume and Mill are both important figures in the utilitarian tradition, but they are engaged in rather different projects. What is (or are) the most important respect(s) in which Mill’s Utilitarianism differs from Hume’s Treatise?

When you are finished, please (1) turn in your answers and (2) keep this sheet of questions.