Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardApplying the Negation Technique

Ethicist: A society's moral progress regarding a specific issue is accurately measured by the extent to which its citizens apply informal social sanctions, such as boycotts, to harmful behavior. In Oakhaven, legislative penalties for corporate pollution have grown significantly stricter over the past decade. However, Oakhaven's citizens currently rarely apply informal social sanctions to companies that pollute. Therefore, Oakhaven has not made any moral progress regarding environmental protection over the past decade.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the ethicist's argument?

  1. The extent to which Oakhaven citizens apply informal social sanctions to polluting companies is not greater now than it was a decade ago.Answer
  2. B
    If a society rarely applies informal social sanctions to harmful behavior, it cannot make moral progress.
  3. C
    Ten years ago, Oakhaven citizens frequently applied informal social sanctions to companies that polluted.
  4. D
    Stricter legislative penalties for corporate pollution in Oakhaven have caused citizens to feel that informal social sanctions are no longer necessary.
  5. E
    Corporate pollution in Oakhaven is not currently at a lower level than it was ten years ago.

Answer

The assumption that the extent of informal social sanctions is not greater now than it was a decade ago.
The ethicist concludes that no moral progress has been made over the past decade based solely on the fact that informal sanctions are currently rare. Because the ethicist defines moral progress as an increase in the extent of these sanctions, concluding that no progress occurred requires assuming that sanctions haven't increased. If we logically negate this answer choice to state that the extent of sanctions *is* greater now than a decade ago, it would mean progress *has* occurred, completely destroying the conclusion. Thus, this assumption is strictly required.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the core structure of the argument.
Conclusion: Oakhaven has not made moral progress over the past decade. Premises: Moral progress is measured by the extent of informal social sanctions; Oakhaven citizens currently 'rarely' apply these sanctions.
Deconstructing the argument is the necessary first step to locating logical gaps.
2
Identify the logical gap between the premises and the conclusion.
The premises describe a static, current state ('rarely' apply sanctions), but the conclusion makes a claim about a change over time ('has not made moral progress over the past decade').
Progress implies a relative comparison between two points in time, which the explicitly stated premises fail to provide.
3
Apply the Negation Technique to test potential assumptions.
Negating the correct choice results in: 'The extent of sanctions IS greater now than it was a decade ago.' If the extent of sanctions has increased, then by the ethicist's own definition, moral progress HAS been made. The conclusion collapses.
A necessary assumption, when logically negated, will completely undermine the argument's conclusion.

Key Concept

Applying the Negation Technique to identify necessary assumptions involving temporal comparisons and relative changes.
Estimated Time:2m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Applying the Negation Technique

More questions from this topic