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Difficulty: Very hardBridging Gap (Supporter) Assumptions

Ethicist: A moral theory is practically viable only if it can be consistently applied by ordinary individuals in their daily lives. Because Utilitarianism requires a level of cognitive effort that far exceeds the psychological capacity of average humans, it is impossible for ordinary individuals to consistently apply it. Consequently, Utilitarianism cannot serve as the foundational moral framework for a functioning society.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the ethicist's argument depends?

  1. In order to serve as the foundational moral framework for a functioning society, a moral theory must be practically viable.Answer
  2. B
    Any moral theory that is practically viable is capable of serving as the foundational moral framework for a functioning society.
  3. C
    If a moral theory cannot serve as the foundational moral framework for a functioning society, then it is not practically viable.
  4. D
    The primary function of a societal moral framework is to ensure that the cognitive effort required of citizens does not exceed their psychological capacity.
  5. E
    Utilitarianism is the only moral theory that demands individuals constantly calculate the global consequences of their actions.

Answer

The statement asserting that a moral theory must be practically viable in order to serve as the foundational framework for a functioning society.
The ethicist's argument traces a path from the cognitive demands of Utilitarianism to the conclusion that it is not practically viable. However, the final conclusion introduces an entirely new claim: that Utilitarianism cannot be the 'foundational moral framework for a functioning society.' Because this concept appears nowhere in the premises, there is a logical gap. The author must be assuming that lacking practical viability automatically disqualifies a theory from being a foundational framework. The correct answer explicitly provides this exact link by stating that practical viability is a necessary prerequisite for serving as a foundational framework.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the logical structure of the premises.
Premise 1 establishes: Viable → Consistently Applied. Premise 2 establishes: Utilitarianism → Exceeds Capacity → NOT Consistently Applied.
Deconstructing the text into formal logic reveals the exact endpoints of the evidence provided.
2
Determine the intermediate inference supported by the premises.
Since Utilitarianism cannot be consistently applied (denying the necessary condition for viability in Premise 1), it can be inferred that Utilitarianism is NOT practically viable.
Applying the contrapositive of Premise 1 (NOT Consistently Applied → NOT Viable) to Utilitarianism completes the premise chain.
3
Identify the main conclusion and isolate the rogue element.
The conclusion claims Utilitarianism cannot serve as a 'foundational moral framework for a functioning society.' This introduces a completely new concept not mentioned in the premises.
Finding terms in the conclusion that do not appear in the premises pinpoints the exact location of the logical gap.
4
Formulate the required bridging assumption (Supporter).
The assumption must connect the intermediate inference (NOT practically viable) to the conclusion (NOT a foundational framework). Thus: If a theory is NOT practically viable, it is NOT a foundational framework (or, contrapositively, Foundational Framework → Practically Viable).
A Supporter Assumption must syntactically link the established evidence to the unsupported new element in the conclusion.
5
Apply the Negation Test to verify the correct option.
Negating the correct option yields: 'A moral theory does NOT need to be practically viable to serve as a foundational framework.' If true, the fact that Utilitarianism is not viable no longer prevents it from being a framework, destroying the conclusion.
The Negation Test definitively proves whether an assumption is logically necessary for the argument to survive.

Key Concept

Bridging Gap (Supporter) Assumptions in Formal Logic Chains
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Topics

Bridging Gap (Supporter) Assumptions

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