Bentham and Kant | AQA A-Level Religious Studies (7062)
Bentham and Kant
- 45 questions
- 3 subtopics
- Component 1 Section B: ethics and religion
- Component 1
Bentham's principle of utility and hedonic calculus set against Kant's categorical imperative, duty and the treatment of persons as ends..
It covers bentham's Principle of Utility, kant's Categorical Imperative and Religious Ethics and bentham and Kant Compared.
Sample questions from Bentham and Kant
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Bentham's Principle of Utility
In the hedonic calculus, what does 'certainty' assess?
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How likely or probable it is that the pleasure will occur. -
Bentham's Principle of Utility
What does 'purity' refer to in the hedonic calculus?
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The likelihood that the pleasure will not be followed by pain. -
Kant's Categorical Imperative and Religious Ethics
According to Kant, what gives an action moral worth?
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Acting out of duty rather than inclination or self-interest. -
Kant's Categorical Imperative and Religious Ethics
What is secular about Bentham's approach to ethics?
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It excludes appeals to divine authority as a basis for moral decision making, relying solely on pleasure and pain as criteria. -
Bentham and Kant Compared
What does the second formulation of Kant's categorical imperative require?
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Treat humanity, whether in yourself or others, always as an end and never merely as a means. -
Bentham and Kant Compared
When might Bentham's utilitarianism conflict with religious ethics?
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When maximising pleasure requires actions that are forbidden by religious commands.
The 3 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Bentham's Principle of Utility | Recall questions on the basis on which Bentham judges an action and on intensity, certainty and the other measures of the hedonic calculus. | 9 |
| Kant's Categorical Imperative and Religious Ethics | Recall questions on why Kant is deontological, the formulations of the categorical imperative and the good will, his postulates of God, freedom and immortality, and where Kant and Bentham meet religious ethics. | 17 |
| Bentham and Kant Compared | Recall questions on Bentham's consequentialist principle of utility and Kant's deontological duty, how the two differ on the foundations of morality, and where each agrees or conflicts with religious ethics. | 19 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Religious Studies Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 3,683 questions with their answers.