Logical Reasoning

PT146 · S1 · Q8 Philosopher: It has been argued

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Philosopher: It has been argued that because particular moral codes differ between cultures, morality must be entirely a product of culture and cannot be grounded in some universal human nature.

Conclusion

It's flawed to think that because moral codes differ, that the morality that gives birth to these codes is fabricated by one's culture, not rooted in one's human DNA.

Evidence

Some moral attitudes are shared across all cultures.

It's kind of analogous to food. There are universal tastes shared by all humans (like sweet and salty), but cultures differ when it comes to their cuisines.

The Blank

We usually see some Conclusion or Support indicator language right before the blank or at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, the rhetorical language is the wind-up for an Analogy.

So we know our job is to complete this analogy. The author's main agenda is saying that even though moral codes differ, morality might still be grounded in some universal nature.

She's using this analogy with food, so let's think about how the parts line up.

FOOD MORALITY each culture has each culture has the universal tastes certain shared of sweet & salty moral attitudes

these universal tastes provide the basis for ? ? ? many different cuisines

Goal

If we think about the author's overall conclusion that , then this analogy should be working its way back to talking about moral codes.

Moral codes are like cuisines (each culture's is different). Moral attitudes are like tastes (shared across all cultures).

8.

Which one of the following most logically completes the argument?

  1. moral codes tend to be

    Doesn't Line Up With Analogy

    On the food side, both parts of the analogy dealt with the universal tastes, so we'd expect both parts of the morality side to include a mention of shared moral attitudes. FOOD MORALITY each culture has each culture has the universal tastes certain shared of sweet & salty moral attitudes universal tastes can moral codes are provide basis for many usually based on different cuisines a specific context

    3% picked this

  2. the moral codes of most

    Doesn't Line Up With Analogy

    On the food side, both parts of the analogy dealt with the universal tastes, so we'd expect both parts of the morality side to include a mention of shared moral attitudes. FOOD MORALITY each culture has each culture has the universal tastes certain shared of sweet & salty moral attitudes universal tastes can moral codes of provide basis for many most cultures different cuisines have similarities

    6% picked this

  3. Correct

    a variety of moral codes

    Why this is right

    This is our best match for the missing spot in the analogy. FOOD MORALITY each culture has each culture has the universal tastes certain shared of sweet & salty moral attitudes universal tastes can a variety of moral provide basis for codes can come from many diff cuisines shared attitudes

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

    75% picked this

  4. it is possible to understand

    Doesn't Line Up With Analogy

    On the food side, both parts of the analogy dealt with the universal tastes, so we'd expect both parts of the morality side to include a mention of shared moral attitudes. FOOD MORALITY each culture has each culture has the universal tastes certain shared of sweet & salty moral attitudes universal tastes can it's possible to provide basis for many understand other different cuisines culture's moral codes

    4% picked this

  5. moral attitudes can be adapted

    Reversed Causal Relationship

    This is a close contender, but it messes up the causal impact intended. The author thinks that the foundation of morality are these shared moral attitudes (just like the foundation of cooking are universal tastes like sweet and salty). Cuisines adapt to these underlying tastes. Moral codes adapt to these underlying attitudes. This is saying that the universal, shared moral attitudes get adapted, but those are supposed to be the unchanging bedrock. FOOD MORALITY each culture has each culture has the universal tastes certain shared of sweet & salty moral attitudes universal tastes can moral attitudes can provide basis for many be adapted to suit different cuisines a culture's moral code This would be like saying, "Our taste for sweet and salty can be adapted in order to enjoy a certain cuisine".

    13% picked this

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