QUESTIONS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF STUDENTS IN PALEY'S PHILOSOPHY. The figures on the margin refer to the pages of the Boston School Edition, on which the answers are to be found. BOOK I.-CHAPTER I. 21. What is Moral Philosophy? What is its use? CHAPTER II. What is the law of honour? 22. What duties does it regulate? What does it omit ? What crimes does it allow ? CHAPTER III. Why is not the law of the land a sufficient rule of conduct? 23. What class of duties are left out of the statute book? What crimes does it allow ? Why do not free states allow the magistrate discretionary power? CHAPTER IV. 24. Do the Scriptures furnish a specific rule of every variety of moral duty? Why not? What kind of rules do the Scriptures furnish? 25. How are all practical sciences taught? What is the difference between the Scripture manner of Do the Scriptures define crimes accurately in all cases? Do these views imply any imperfection in the Scriptures? CHAPTER V. 26. Relate the anecdote of Caius Toranius. What is the question, among moralists, with relation to this story? 27. Which party affirm that the uneducated savage would disapprove Toranius's conduct? How is the affirmative supported? What is the fist argument on the negative side? 28. How is the general approbation of good actions accounted for? 29. What other passion continues in the same manner? How is the custom of approving good actions transmitted? 30. What do children most readily imitate? Are there any maxims universally true? 31. Does not the argument relating to instinct prove too much? What is Paley's opinion concerning the moral sense? What absurd position did Aristotle lay down as a maxim? What would be the grand defect of a system of morality founded on instincts? 32. Is the question, concerning the moral sense, one of much practical importance? CHAPTER VI. How is the word happy applied? 33. How do pleasures differ? 34. (I. 1st.) Does happiness consist in sensual indulgence? Why not? What is the common delusion attending the pursuit of pleasure? 35. What is the most common characteristic of the votaries of pleasure? 36. (2dly. Does happiness consist in exemption from labour, care, &c.? Do retired men of business find it? Do not agitation and even pain sometimes afford relief? (3dly.) Does happiness consist in rank? Why not? 37. What kind of superiority yields satisfaction? Illustrate this. Are the pleasures of ambition common to all conditions? 38. How does Paley prove that happiness does not consist in greatness? (II.) In the conduct of life, what should we know "beforehand?" 39. Will any particular plan of life answer for all? (1.) What is the first requisite for happiness enumerated? What persons usually possess the best spirits? Is benevolence productive of happiness? [ness? (2.) Is the exercise of the faculties productive of happiHow does it appear that the exercise of hope is an im portant requisite for happiness? 40. What makes the rich resort to gaming, &c.? Distinguish the two kinds of hope. Which is conducive to happiness? & What pleasures are most valuable? What man has the greatest advantage in this respect? 41. What sort of engagement or occupation is to be preferred? (3.) Does happiness depend on the prudent constitution of the habits? What is the great art in which the secret of human happi ness consists ? 42. What advantage has the peasant over the epicure? The labourer over the card-player? Which enjoys Sunday most? What advantage has the man of retired habits over the man of the world? What advantage has the reader of scientific books over the novel reader? 43. How is happiness affected by circumstances of fortune? Which conduces most to happiness, the spending or the acquiring of property? (4.) Is health important to happiness? [health? By what sacrifices should we be willing to purchase 44. What conclusions are drawn from this account of human happiness? What is virtue? CHAPTER VII. What are the subject, rule, and motive, of human virtue ? 45. What two branches is it divided into? What are the four cardial virtues ? What is the modern division of virtue ? 46. Where is the exercise of virtue, the guilt of vice, or any use of moral and religious knowledge? Are any actions to be performed solely for the sake of habit? Illustrate this. 48. (2.) Has the Christian religion ascertained the precise quantity of virtue necessary to salvation? Is this any objection to it? Why not? 49. (1.) What description of persons may not expect a future state of happiness? (2.) Is a state of happiness to be expected by those who indulge any one sin habitually? Why not? 50. (3) Will unprofitableness be punished? How does this appear? 51. (4.) In questions of conduct, which side should we take? Give an instance. BOOK II. CHAPTER I. 52. Why am I obliged to keep my word? How do these reasons coincide? 53. How are they deficient? How should the inquiry be conducted? CHAPTER II. When is a man obliged? Illustrate the necessity of the motive being a violent one. 54. Why must the motive result from the command of another? What follows from this account of obligation? CHAPTER III. How are we obliged to keep our word? 55. What are our motive and rule for moral conduct? Does moral obligation resemble other obligations? Illustrate the difference between an act of prudence and an act of duty. In what does this difference consist? 56. What are the two great questions that principally concern us as moral agents? Which is to be discussed in the present work? CHAPTER IV. What are the two methods of ascertaining the will of 57. Should these be separated? Illustrate this. Are the sanctions of religion necessary to a perfect system of morals? CHAPTER V. 58. How might the Deity have insured our misery, if he had desired it ? What is the consequence of supposing the Deity indifferent to our happiness? 59. If our happiness be not the result of accident, what is the necessary inference? What appears to have been the design of the Deity in the contrivance of the human frame? Illustrate this. Is evil the natural result of the contrivance of the human frame? 60. Which affords the more convincing proof of the benevolence of the Deity, the contemplation of universal nature, or of some single example? What was Paley's favourite example? What is the rule resulting from the fact, that God wills and wishes the happiness of his creatures? CHAPTER VI. 61. How are actions to be estimated? What constitutes the obligation of a moral rule ? State the objection. 62. How is it refuted? How are the bad consequences of actions divided? Why, therefore, is a single unlawful act not useful? CHAPTER VII. 63. Why are general rules necessary? Illustrate this. Are these general rules equally necessary in the Divine government? Illustrate their necessity. 64. Why has secrecy been supposed, in any measure, to justify a wrong action? Why does it not? What three points are proposed to the supporters of this doctrine? CHAPTER VIII. 65. How may the general consequences of any action be estimated? In how wide a sense must the expediency of actions be considered? 66. Illustrate the difference between the particular and the general consequences of actions by the examples of counterfeiting, forgery, sheep-stealing, house-breaking, Buggling, breaking parole. 67. Why are crimes the same, whose particular consequences are widely different? Were the ancients aware of this distinction? CHAPTER IX. 68. How are right and obligation related? Upon what do moral obligation and right depend? 69. Describe right as a quality of persons. Of actions. CHAPTER X. How are the rights of persons divided? 71. (2.) Give an example of an alienable right. An unalienable right. Is the right to civil liberty alienable according to Paley? (3.) What are perfect rights? Imperfect? Give examples of perfect rights. 72. Of imperfect rights. Why may not all our rights be enforced? Illustrate this by the example of the worthy candidate for office. 73. By the example of the poor man. |