Consider the four policy-related arguments presented below. Which universal principle must be assumed to definitively justify the conclusion of each respective argument?
- The proposed municipal water project would eradicate the frequent shortages experienced in the eastern district. However, implementing the project requires seizing private farmland through eminent domain. Thus, the city must not proceed with the water project.A government initiative must not be undertaken if it relies on the confiscation of private property, regardless of the public utility it provides.
- Governor Lin's tax reform bill will demonstrably increase the state's total economic output over the next decade. Yet, because the bill disproportionately increases the tax burden on the lowest-income residents, the legislature should vote against it.Elected bodies should reject any fiscal legislation that disproportionately disadvantages the poorest citizens, even if the legislation ensures long-term macroeconomic growth.
- The pharmaceutical company's new medication effectively cures a rare, debilitating disease. Unfortunately, producing the medication generates highly toxic chemical byproducts that cannot be safely stored. Therefore, regulatory agencies should prohibit the manufacturing of this medication.The production of any pharmaceutical product should be banned if it creates hazardous waste that defies safe containment, irrespective of the product's therapeutic benefits.
- The university's planned athletic complex would generate millions in revenue and significantly boost school spirit. However, the construction would require reallocating funds currently designated for academic scholarships. Consequently, the university administrators must cancel the athletic complex.An educational institution must not pursue capital improvements if doing so requires diverting resources away from financial aid, no matter how much revenue the improvements might generate.
Answer
The municipal water project is justified by the principle against property confiscation; the tax reform bill is justified by the principle against disadvantaging the poorest citizens; the medication manufacturing is justified by the principle against generating uncontainable hazardous waste; and the athletic complex is justified by the principle against diverting financial aid.
Each correctly paired principle functions as a conditional mechanism. It takes the specific negative outcome cited in the argument's premise as its sufficient condition, and it yields the argument's rejection of the proposal as its necessary condition, explicitly overriding any competing benefits.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
In 'Principle - Justify' questions, the correct principle acts as a strict conditional rule (If P, then Q). The premises of the argument must satisfy the sufficient condition (P), thereby guaranteeing the argument's conclusion as the necessary condition (Q).