Logical Reasoning

PT121 · S1 · Q9 Theories generated by scientific research

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Theories generated by scientific research were used to develop several products that, although useful, damage the environment severely.

Conclusion

The scientists who conducted research that was later used to develop several environmentally damaging products shouldn't be held responsible for that damage.

Evidence

They merely generated the theories. They couldn't foresee or restrict what people would make, using their research.

Evaluate

In pre-phrasing a correct answer for Principle questions, we're just trying to say, "If [premise language], then [conclusion] language", in general terms.

Since we're trying to justify a conclusion that the scientists "should not be responsible", we can doubt or eliminate any answers that don't give us a rule that puts "should not be responsible" (or something similar) on the right side.

Goal

Let's look for something like

9.

Which one of the following principles, if established, justifies the conclusion above?

  1. Individuals who develop something that

    Weak Match

    This appealingly is a rule about "should not be held responsible", but it doesn't clearly apply to the situation with the scientists. 1. Did the scientists develop something that has desirable characteristics? Not sure. We were told that one several of the products developed on the basis of that research were "useful", so I guess that's an okay match. The research had the desirable characteristic of being useful. 2. Was the "something" improperly used? Was the research improperly used? Not sure. We know that the research was used to develop some useful products, and the product have negative environmental effects. But "improper use" sounds more like you used a product not as it was intended.

    15% picked this

  2. Individuals are justified in performing

    Bad Conclusion Match

    This one's not worth reading if we scan it and don't see any language that sounds like "whether or not someone should be held responsible" for something. This conversation isn't about concluding that someone was / wasn't justified in performing an activity.

    0% picked this

  3. Individuals should receive credit for

    Bad Conclusion Match

    This one's not worth reading if we scan it and don't see any language that sounds like "whether or not someone should be held responsible" for something. Whether or not someone should receive credit for desirable stuff is not what we're talking about. We're talking about whether or not someone should receive blame for undesirable stuff.

    1% picked this

  4. Correct

    Individuals who perform an activity

    Why this is right

    This, appealingly, is a rule that lets us conclude that someone shouldn't be held responsible. Does it apply to our scientists? Yes. They performed an activity (did research and generated theories). There were unforeseen undesirable consequences (other people put the results of this research into the activity of developing products that ended up having a damaging effect on the environment). So according to this rule, we shouldn't hold these scientists responsible.

    Skill tested: Principle-Strengthen · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    82% picked this

  5. Individuals should be held responsible

    Bad Premise/Conclusion Match

    This is a rule saying that people should be held responsible. But we're looking for a rule that allows us to say that scientists shouldn't be held responsible. And we're talking about whether to hold scientists responsible for unforeseeable consequences of their research, while this is rule about the foreseeable consequences.

    1% picked this

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