“The Puzzle of Not Making a Difference” was the name I gave…
“The Puzzle of Not Making a Difference” was the name I gave to the observation that we sometimes act as if some of our individual actions are extremely morally important, even when it does not make a difference whether we do them or not. One example I gave was my own insistence to recycle every single can I use–even when the effect of recycling one can is so small that it really does not matter. Which best expresses my response to the objection that although recycling a single can may not matter, a lifetime of recycling would add up to a significant amount of material recycled, and would thus make a difference?
Read DetailsImplicit in the way that Guerrero–and others–express the p…
Implicit in the way that Guerrero–and others–express the puzzle of not making a difference, one possible solution is what I called the ‘Threshold Solution’. Which answer best represents what the ‘Threshold Solution’ would say about when we should vote?
Read DetailsThe Hard Incompatibilist claims that we always do that which…
The Hard Incompatibilist claims that we always do that which we most want to do. At first, it seems like this claim would be easy to refute with counterexamples: I could choose an orange or a slice of cake for dessert. I want the cake more, but I choose the orange instead. What would the Hard Incompatibilist say in response to this apparent counterexample?
Read DetailsSome mutations in the bacterial lacI gene can cause its prod…
Some mutations in the bacterial lacI gene can cause its product to behave in a “dominant” manner, whereby the phenotype associated with a given lacI allele cannot be fully rescued by the addition of a normal lacI allele on an artificial chromosome. Which of the following is a feature of LacI that allows these mutations to function in a dominant fashion?
Read DetailsBelow is shown a simplified hypothetical organism. You are r…
Below is shown a simplified hypothetical organism. You are researching regulation of the head gene, and are designing an experiment to test whether the magenta enhancer (“E” near the head gene) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What is the expected morphological output of these new mutations (red ovals)? [Your answer should be ~10 words or fewer, >20 words results in -0.5]
Read DetailsA 78-year-old patient recovering from a stroke is referred t…
A 78-year-old patient recovering from a stroke is referred to home health PT. The patient has speech and balance difficulties but can ambulate with minimal assistance. The family is eager for the to transition to outpatient therapy. Which of the following is the most appropriate factor to consider when determining her readiness for discharge to outpatient therapy?
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