Logical Reasoning

PT126 · S1 · Q14 Eighteenth-century moralist: You should

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Eighteenth-century moralist: You should never make an effort to acquire expensive new tastes, since they are a drain on your purse and in the course of acquiring them you may expose yourself to sensations that are obnoxious to you.

Premises

Expensive new tastes are a drain on your purse and in the course of acquiring them you may expose yourself to sensations that are obnoxious to you.

Furthermore, the very effort that must be expanded in their acquisition attests their superfluity.

Conclusion

You should never make an effort to acquire expensive new tastes.

Evaluate

The moralist argues against acquiring expensive new tastes by pointing out some of the drawbacks connected with achieving that goal. However, it fails to consider any of the advantages connected with acquiring expensive new tastes that may outweigh those drawbacks.

14.

The moralist's reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the moralist

  1. draws a conclusion that simply

    Wrong Flaw

    This describes a circular argument, but the conclusion does not simply restate a premise.

    9% picked this

  2. takes for granted that the

    Too Strong

    This describes a possible further drawback of acquiring expensive new tastes, but one that the argument does not assume.

    6% picked this

  3. uses the inherently vague term

    Wrong Flaw

    The term “sensations” is stated only once in the argument. For this answer to correctly describe the flaw, the term “sensations” would need to be used more than once and with more than one meaning in those uses.

    1% picked this

  4. mistakes a cause of acquisition

    Wrong Flaw

    The argument does not mistakenly reverse a causal relationship.

    10% picked this

  5. Correct

    rejects trying to achieve a

    Why this is right

    This correctly points out that the argument only considers the drawbacks associated with acquiring expensive new tastes without considering any of the advantages of doing so.

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

    74% picked this

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