According to McMahan, the Best Explanation of Why It Would

question 460

Multiple Choice

According to McMahan, the best explanation of why it would be permissible to torture a terrorist in a ticking bomb scenario but not his or her innocent child is that:

• A) Torturing the child would never be the comparative lesser of two evils.
• B) Inflicting pain on a child can never be morally justified as an act type.
• C) The child has done nothing to make him or herself liable to be tortured.
• D) Child abuse is currently condemned by both domestic and international law.

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Definitions:

Classical Conditioning

A method of acquiring knowledge through the linkage between an external stimulus and an innate stimulus, which yields a reactive behavior.

Positive Reinforcement

A method in behavior modification that involves rewarding a desired behavior, thereby increasing the likelihood that the behavior will happen again.

Negative Reinforcement

A behavioral principle where the removal of an unpleasant stimulus following a behavior increases the likelihood of that behavior being repeated.

Positive Reinforcement

An increase in the future frequency of a behavior due to the addition of a stimulus immediately following a response.