- What is Singer’s drowning child thought experiment? How does he use the thought experiment to defend his position on charitable giving?
a. Singer asks you to imagine you are walking past a pond and see a child drowning, and that most people would get into the water and save the child even though there shoes would get muddy, this would be insignificant. Singer uses this experiment to explain that no matter how far you are from the child, or who is near the child if they need saving you would save them. This suggests that distance or the fact that others could also help doesn’t lessen our responsibility to give more to charity.
According to Singer, how much are we obligated to give to charity?
a. According to singer we are obligated to give to charity up until the point where giving more would cause us to sacrifice something of comparable moral importance.
According to Cullity, what kind of goods (non-____-focused) are part of what makes it worth it to save lives? Why does Cullity think so?
a. Cullity says that non altruistically focused goods are part of what make it worth it to save lives. Things like hobby’s and relationships. He thinks this because he argues if people are required to give to much to charity they would no longer be able to enjoy the non-altruistic goods that makes life worth saving in the first place.
Does Miller accept or deny that the right to enter a particular country follows from the right to freedom of movement? Explain why he thinks the way that he does on the issue.
a. Miller says that the right to freedom of movement is uninjectable but the right to enter a particular country should allow for limits on immigration. He thinks this way because the freedom of movement allows you the right to leave your country, but doesn’t automatically give you the right to enter another one. He says this because controlling entry is a legitimate way to preserve a country’s culture and population.
What is Kukathas’ principle of humanity? How does he use it to defend his position on borders and immigration?
a. Kukathas principle of humanity suggests that preventing immigration denies people the opportunity to get out of poverty which prevents them from opportunities to improve their condition of life. He uses this principle to defend his position by establishing that it is morally wrong to deny them the basic freedom to seek a better life.
How does Kukathas respond to the concern that immigrants with a different cultural background from citizens in a country can change that country’s culture?
a. Kukathas says that people cant agree on whether changing is desirable or not and many nations experience dominant culture changes and prospered, so change isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
- According to Keller, what is “bad faith”, and why is it a danger of patriotism?
a. According to Keller bad faith is a kind of self-deception when a person refuses to see or admit the truth because doing so would threaten their loyalty. Keller says this is a danger to patriotism because ones belief about their country could have an impact on major policy or laws
- For Keller, is patriotism a derived or non-derived loyalty? Why?
a. Keller says that patriotism is of the latter sort but shouldn’t be considered a derived loyalty. He says patriotism is similar to our loyalties of family and friends. As patriots are likely to still support their country even in the presence of negative qualities
Why does Kleinig think that loyalty to one’s country plays an important role in a person’s self-conception?
a. Kleinig thinks that loyalty to ones country plays an important role in a persons self-conception because it helps to create belonging in a shared community within where they strongly identify with
What is Huemer’s killer and accomplice thought experiment? How does he use it to defend his position on gun rights?
a. Huemers experiment imagines a killer and an accomplice have broken into a victim’s house. The victim has a gun but the accomplice is able take the gun and run away with it. As a result, the killer stabs the victim. Huemer uses this experiment to suggest that the accomplice is a still responsible for the death of the victim. He establishes if the state were to take away the right to bare arms, it becomes partially responsible for those who would have been able to defend themselves.
Explain Huemer’s “compliance problem” for prohibiting gun ownership
a. Huemer explains that criminals will still find a way to get guns even if there were laws put into place to prohibit gun ownership. This will not only be ineffective failing to reduce crime, but will take away a law-abiding citizens means of protecting themselves.
- What is Dixon’s causal hypothesis regarding handguns and violent crime? Briefly describe the three parts
a. Dixons casual hypothesis suggests that reducing the number of handguns will likely reduce the homicide rate. As he suggests in three parts that first, the majority of crimes are committed with handguns. Second, there cheapness, concealability, and lethality handguns are ideally suited for the commission of crimes. And lastly, he suggest other weapons are lass lethal, and larger guns are harder to conceal making it more difficult to inflict wounds in the first place.
