June 2007 PrepTest, Section 2, Question 23
By Brandon Beaver | Published October 29, 2024
Type: Sufficient Assumption
Difficulty:
Explanations
Huh? No, that’s a huge jump. “If and only if” means the following condition is sufficient and necessary. Thus, if an action decreases the overall well-being, it is morally wrong; if an action does not do that, it is not morally wrong. However, “not morally wrong” is not the same as “right.” The philosopher even gives a definition of “right”—an action that doesn’t affect the overall well-being wouldn’t fit into that definition.
Therefore, this missing piece is that “not wrong” means “right.” We need to expand the philosopher’s definition of “right.”
A
This is already inferable based on the second sentence. Therefore, it isn’t an assumption.
B
Close, but I want “an action that isn’t wrong is right.”
C
Perfect. This matches our prediction.
D
The conclusion is that, if there are such actions, then ____. Thus, the existence of those actions doesn’t help.
E
If “good consequences” means “increases the aggregate well-being,” then this is already proven. So like A, this wouldn’t be an assumption.
Passage
Philosopher: An action is morally right if it would be reas
Question 23
The philosopher's conclusion follows logically if which one