Chapter 5 Self-Check Questions

. A moral principle is [pick the best answer]:

A general moral rule -- a claim about the moral status of a range or group of cases.

A deeply held conviction about what's right or wrong.

A commonly held claim about whether a particular action or policy is right or wrong.

A religiously-endorsed claim about how we ought to live.

. Which of the following is a moral principle?

It was wrong of Dan to lie to Ryoka.

The Federal mandatory minimum sentence for crack possession is unjust.

Lying is only permissible in cases where it clearly does more good than harm.

Carlos is a virtuous person.

. The General Form of Argument from Principle describes the pattern an Argument from Principle takes when represented in standard form. According to the chapter, how can this pattern help you represent an Argument from Principle in standard form?

It can help you identify the conclusion of the argument.

It can help you identify the premises of the argument.

It can help you see how to put supplementary information into your standard form representation.

. The General Form of Argument from Principle describes the pattern an Argument from Principle takes when represented in standard form. Use this pattern to determine: what is case x in the following argument? "We should have laws that protect people from being seriously harmed by others. Therefore, we should have a law prohibiting drunk driving, since such a law protects people from being seriously harmed by others."

Laws that protect people from being seriously harmed by others.

Things we ought to have.

A law prohibiting drunk driving.

A law allowing drunk driving.

. The General Form of Argument from Principle describes the pattern an Argument from Principle takes when represented in standard form. Use this pattern to determine: what is "moral status S" in the following argument? "We should have laws that protect people from being seriously harmed by others. Therefore, we should have a law prohibiting drunk driving, since such a law protects people from being seriously harmed by others."

Laws that protect people from being seriously harmed by others.

We ought to have it.

A law prohibiting drunk driving.

A law allowing drunk driving.

. The General Form of Argument from Principle describes the pattern an Argument from Principle takes when represented in standard form. Use this pattern to determine: what does "cases of type A" represent in the following argument? "We should have laws that protect people from being seriously harmed by others. Therefore, we should have a law prohibiting drunk driving, since such a law protects people from being seriously harmed by others."

Laws that protect people from being seriously harmed by others.

Things we ought to have.

A law prohibiting drunk driving.

A law allowing drunk driving.

. The General Form of Argument from Principle describes the pattern an Argument from Principle takes when represented in standard form. Use this pattern to determine: what part of the following argument is the italicized sentence? "We should have laws that protect people from being seriously harmed by others. Therefore, we should have a law prohibiting drunk driving, since such a law protects people from being seriously harmed by others."

Premise 1 -- the moral principle.

Premise 2 -- the claim that the target case is the type the moral principle is talking about.

The conclusion of the argument.

It's not a premise or the conclusion; rather, it is supplementary information that serves to clarify what a premise is saying and why we should think it is true.

. The General Form of Argument from Principle describes the pattern an Argument from Principle takes when represented in standard form. Use this pattern to determine: what part of the following argument is the italicized sentence? "We should have laws that protect people from being seriously harmed by others. Therefore, we should have a law prohibiting drunk driving, since such a law protects people from being seriously harmed by others."

Premise 1 -- the moral principle.

Premise 2 -- the claim that the target case is the type the moral principle is talking about.

The conclusion of the argument.

It's not a premise or the conclusion; rather, it is supplementary information that serves to clarify what a premise is saying and why we should think it is true.

. The General Form of Argument from Principle describes the pattern an Argument from Principle takes when represented in standard form. Use this pattern to determine: what part of the following argument is the italicized sentence? "We should have laws that protect people from being seriously harmed by others. Therefore, we should have a law prohibiting drunk driving, since such a law protects people from being seriously harmed by others."

Premise 1 -- the moral principle.

Premise 2 -- the claim that the target case is the type the moral principle is talking about.

The conclusion of the argument.

It's not a premise or the conclusion; rather, it is supplementary information that serves to clarify what a premise is saying and why we should think it is true.

. Representing Arguments from Principle in standard form is a skill that takes practice to acquire. You'll do that practice by doing the Demonstration Exercises at the end of the Chapter and checking your answers. Some arguments will have implicit premises and/or supplementary information, and this can make them more challenging to represent in standard form. According to the Chapter, you can make the process easier by:

Using the General Form of Argument from Principle to help you identify the two premises of the argument.

Going with your gut -- representing the argument in the way that just feels right.

Remembering that the first sentence in a passage is always the conclusion of the argument.

Remembering that the first sentence in a passage expressing an Argument from Principle will always be the moral principle.

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