1. What is Personal Morality, according to Browne?
2. Browne says at one point, 'We have seen that you act in ways that you hope will bring the best consequences to you. And the 'best consequences' are those that bring you hapiness'. Do you think he means that we always act in ways that we hope will bring us the best consequences? If he does mean this, do you think it is true? Explain.
3. When Browne says, 'You always have to consider the consequences
of your actions; they're the point of anything you do', he may/is saying
that something like the following is a true moral principle:
This principle is the principle fo Ethical Egoism. Is it true? Can
you produce instances of actions that show that it is not true?
4. What is a code of conduct, as far as Browne is concerned, and what is the purpose of such a code?
5. What is Universal Morality, according to Browne, and how does it differ from Personal Morality?
6. What is Absolute Morality, according to Browne, and how does it differ from personal morality and from universal morality? What are the two main characteristics of absolute morality? Can you produce examples of abosolute morality?
7. In his description of Absolute morality, Browne offers a number of considerations that have been offered in support of Absolute morality along with responses to these efforts to support. Explain these efforts to support and Browne's responses. Agree or disagree with each attempt and defend your veiw.
8. What is the morality trap, according to Browne?
9. Do you think that Browne thinks that what one might call a God-based morality is a trap?
10. Browne says that if you are acting in ways that you hope will satisfy someone else's concept of what is moral, chances are you're using an ill-suited code of conduct-- one that won't lead you to what you want and that may trap you in commitments and complications that can only cause you unhappiness'. Do you agree with his comments here? Defend your view.
11. Is the purpose of morality to make the individual who is behaving morally happy or is there some other proper end for morality?
12. In the section entitled 'Your Morality' (p. 217) Browne asks you to evaluate each of the rules you've been living by by asking certain questions about these rules. Do this-- pick some moral principle that you think is right, and ask and then answer each of the questions that Browne poses.
13. In the section entitled 'The Unselfishness Trap'. Browne indicates that he believes that 'each person always acts in ways he believes will make him feel good or will remove discomfort from his life'. A bit later, he suggests that the motivation for any action is self-satisfaction. He says, 'Each person is doing what he believes will assure his happiness' and he says this in a way that indicates that he thinks that this is always true. Do you agree or disagree with Browne's claim here? Defend your view.
14. Explain Browne's main point(s) in the section 'A Better World' and the argumentation that he offers in support of this (these) points.
15. State the main points in the sections entitled 'Negative Choices', 'Helping Others', 'Alternatives', and 'Pleasing Yourself', present whatever arguments, considerations Browne offers in support of these points and, finally, offer you own evaluations of Browne's points/arguments.
16. What is psychological egoism?
17. What is ethical egoism?
18. What is the argument from psychological egoism to ethical egoism?
19. (an extra credit possibility) Can someone be a psychological egoist and believe that there is a God?
20, (an extra credit possibility) Can someone be an ethical egoist and believe that there is a God?
21. Explain, to the best of your ability, the differences (if
there are any) and the similarities (if there are any) between ethical
egoism and subjective relativism.