Logical Reasoning

PT138 · S2 · Q23 Ethicist: Only when we know a lot

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Ethicist: Only when we know a lot about the events that led to an action are we justified in praising or blaming a person for that action-as we sometimes are.

Evidence

Only when we know J → KE a lot about the events that led to an action are we justified in praising or blaming a person for that action.

Conclusion

We must therefore ~(KE → ~RFP) reject Tolstoy’s rash claim that if we knew a lot about the events leading up to any action, we would cease to regard that action as freely performed.

This can also be KE ↢some↣ RFP expressed as, there are some actions for which we know a lot about the events that led to that action that we would regard as freely performed.

Evaluate

The argument assumes J → RFP that to be justified in praising or blaming a person for an action we must regard that action as freely performed.

23.

Which one of the following, if assumed, enables the conclusion of the ethicist's argument to be properly drawn?

  1. People should not be regarded

    Term Shift

    Whether people are regarded as subject to praise or blame is different than whether someone is justified in praising or blaming a person for their action.

    7% picked this

  2. Whether an act is one

    Term Shift

    Whether such a person is genuinely responsible is not the same as whether we would regard their act as freely performed.

    8% picked this

  3. Correct

    We can be justified in

    Why this is right

    This ensures that that J → RFP there are some actions J → KE for which we know a ჻ KE ↢some↣ RFP lot about the events that led to that action that we would regard as freely performed.

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

    67% picked this

  4. The responsibility a person bears

    Out of Scope

    The degree to which we are inclined to blame or praise is not relevant to the argument.

    8% picked this

  5. If we do not know

    Weaken

    This presents the KE → ~RFP negation of Tolstoy’s claim, which is not the same as the argument’s rejection of Tolstoy’s claim.

    11% picked this

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