Logical Reasoning

PT153 · S2 · Q6 Principle: If someone makes an error

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Principle: If someone makes an error, it is unethical for a coworker to use that error to his or her own advantage.

Principle

X makes an error → Unethical for coworker Y to use X's error to Y's advantage

Application Conclusion

Mark's action was unethical.

Application Evidence

Mark used his coworker Rashmi's clients' e-mail addresses to advance his own career.

Evaluate

On every Strengthen + Apply the Principle question, we're given a conditional principle. The Application will conclude the right side of the arrow. Our job is just to see where the application fell short of triggering the left side of the arrow.

To prove Mark was "unethical", using this principle, we need to know 1. Mark's coworker made a mistake 2. Mark used that coworker's mistake to his own advantage.

The application establishes that Mark used something from his coworker (the clients' email list) to Mark's own advantage. Mark used it "to advance his own career".

But we haven't established that Rashmi made any mistake.

Goal

Let's look for an answer that gives us the missing part of the trigger. We need to know that Rashmi made a mistake, and that mistake led to Mark using Rashmi's client email list.

6.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to justify the above application of the principle?

  1. Mark had the e-mail addresses

    Missing #1

    We can't use this principle to prove that Mark did something unethical until we know, 1. Mark's coworker made a mistake 2. Mark used that coworker's mistake to his own advantage. We were never told that Rashmi made any sort of mistake, and this answer still is not telling us that (unless we were to infer that the 'mistake' that Rashmi made was not locking up her directory while she was at lunch).

    2% picked this

  2. A coworker of Rashmi and

    Missing #1

    We can't use this principle to prove that Mark did something unethical until we know, 1. Mark's coworker made a mistake 2. Mark used that coworker's mistake to his own advantage. We were never told that Rashmi made any sort of mistake, and this answer still is not telling us that (unless we were to infer that the 'mistake' that Rashmi made was trusting that her coworker who had access to her list wouldn't just go and share it with Mark).

    1% picked this

  3. Rashmi offered to help Mark

    Missing #1

    We can't use this principle to prove that Mark did something unethical until we know, 1. Mark's coworker made a mistake 2. Mark used that coworker's mistake to his own advantage. We were never told that Rashmi made any sort of mistake, and this answer still is not telling us that (unless were infer that the 'mistake' that Rashmi made was offering to help Mark develop a client base). It doesn't seem unethical of Mark to accept her help, though.

    2% picked this

  4. Correct

    Mark had access to Rashmi?s

    Why this is right

    We can't use this principle to prove that Mark did something unethical until we know, 1. Mark's coworker made a mistake 2. Mark used that coworker's mistake to his own advantage. We were never told that Rashmi made any sort of mistake, but this answer supplies that fact. Rashmi unintentionally (mistakenly) put the clients' emails into the visible part of an email (you've got to use that Bcc, Rashmi!) This answer, more than any other, clarifies that Rashmi made a mistake, and thus Mark used a coworker's mistake to his own advantage.

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

    94% picked this

  5. Mark happened upon a list

    Missing #1

    We can't use this principle to prove that Mark did something unethical until we know, 1. Mark's coworker made a mistake 2. Mark used that coworker's mistake to his own advantage. We were never told that Rashmi made any sort of mistake, and this answer still is not telling us that. Mark just found these email addresses on his own, apparently.

    1% picked this

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