Logical Reasoning

PT123 · S3 · Q16 Philosopher: Nations are not literally

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Philosopher: Nations are not literally persons; they have no thoughts or feelings, and, literally speaking, they perform no actions.

Given

Nations are not literally persons; they have no thoughts or feelings, and, literally speaking, they perform no actions.

Thus they have no moral ~MRR rights or responsibilities.

But no nation can survive S → AMRR unless many of its citizens attribute such rights and responsibilities to it, for nothing else could prompt people to make the sacrifices national citizenship demands.

Evaluate

Obviously, then, a nation S → AMRR [something untrue] cannot survive unless people believe something that is untrue [attribute moral rights and responsibilities to a nation].

16.

Which one of the following most logically completes the philosopher's argument?

  1. cannot continue to exist unless

    Contradiction

    This contradicts the third premise which states that nothing else could prompt people to make the sacrifices national citizenship demands.

    22% picked this

  2. Correct

    cannot survive unless many of

    Why this is right

    This correctly describes an S ? AMMR inference of the statements. It restates the second premise, while substituting in something known about moral rights and responsibilities.

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

    56% picked this

  3. can never be a target

    Out of Scope

    Being the target of moral praise and moral blame is not discussed in the argument.

    4% picked this

  4. is not worth the sacrifices

    Out of Scope

    Whether a nation is worth the sacrifices that its citizens make on its behalf is not discussed in the argument.

    2% picked this

  5. should always be thought of

    Too Strong

    Literal thinking may preclude something necessary for the survival of a nation, but that does not mean that one should always think metaphorically.

    16% picked this

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