PHIL 120: Chapter 5B Reading Guide

Vaughn, Doing Ethics — Chapter 5: Utilitarianism and Social Contract Theory

📖 Required Reading for this Module: Vaughn, Doing Ethics, pp. 92–104. Complete only this reading for this module; the rest of the chapter is covered in the paired module.
Instructions

This reading guide is designed to help you understand and answer the Review Questions for Module 5B. This assessment also verifies your active reading of the assigned pages. For each question below, please follow these steps:

Step 1: Navigate to the exact page and paragraph indicated. Locate the sentence using the provided beginning words and type the entire sentence verbatim into the first box.
Step 2: Answer the question based on your reading (no outside research needed or permitted) in your own words in the second box. (Page hints are provided in the answer boxes to help you locate the core answer).
⚡ Auto-Save Enabled: Your answers are automatically saved to this browser as you type. This guide is not submitted — use it to prepare for your module quiz. Use Export Answers to save a backup text copy, or Print to PDF to keep a personal record.

Review Question 1

On p. 92, (the paragraph beginning "Utilitarianism is one of the most influential moral theories in history..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "Utilitarianism is one of..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

Who developed utilitarianism, and what social reforms did it inspire?

Review Question 2

On p. 92, (the paragraph beginning "Classic utilitarianism—the kind of act-utilitarianism formulated by Bentham—is the simplest form of the theory..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "Classic utilitarianism—the kind of act-utilitarianism..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

What does classic act-utilitarianism claim about right actions, and why is happiness the only intrinsic good?

Review Question 3

On pp. 92-93, (the paragraph beginning "In classic act-utilitarianism, knowing how to total the amount of utility..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "Bentham's answer to this requirement is..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

How do Bentham's and Mill's views of happiness differ?

Review Question 4

On pp. 94-95, (the paragraph beginning "Like act-utilitarianism, rule-utilitarianism aims at the greatest good for all affected individuals..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "Like act-utilitarianism, rule-utilitarianism aims at..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

What does rule-utilitarianism claim about how we determine the right action?

Review Question 5

On p. 95, (the paragraph beginning "In our example featuring Dr. X and the cure for heart disease, an act-utilitarian might compare the net happiness produced by performing the lethal operation..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "If the first rule is generally followed..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

Why would a rule-utilitarian say Dr. X should not perform the lethal operation?

Review Question 6

On p. 97, (the paragraph beginning "If we begin with Criterion 1 (consistency with considered moral judgments), we run into what some have called act-utilitarianism's most serious problem..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "it conflicts with..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

What is act-utilitarianism's "most serious problem" regarding justice?

Review Question 7

On p. 97, (the paragraph beginning "If right actions are those that maximize happiness, then it seems that the utilitarian would be doing right by framing the innocent person..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "Here the commonsense idea of justice and..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

What does the McCloskey framing scenario show about utility and justice?

Review Question 8

On p. 99, (the paragraph beginning "If act-utilitarianism does demand too much of us, then its usefulness as a guide to the moral life is suspect..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "Utilitarianism (in all its forms) requires that..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

What is the no-rest problem for act-utilitarianism?

Review Question 9

On p. 101, (the paragraph beginning "For some, the answer is social contract theory (or contractarianism)..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "social contract theory (or contractarianism). This doctrine says that..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

What does social contract theory claim about where morality comes from?

Review Question 10

On pp. 102-103, (the paragraph beginning "The first well-developed social contract theory in modern times was devised by the British philosopher and linguist Thomas Hobbes..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "In his masterpiece Leviathan, he presents..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

How does Hobbes describe the state of nature, and what role does the Leviathan play?

Review Question 11

On pp. 103-104, (the paragraph beginning "Philosophers have faulted Hobbes's theory on several counts..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "Among the most important of these is..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

What is the consent objection to Hobbes's social contract theory?