PHI332 : The
Class : Argument
ID : Independent Premises : Exercise 2.4.4
Exercise 2.4.4
If any of the following are arguments, diagram them. Begin by marking inference
(premise or conclusion) indicators as before. Then check your work with my answers
on the next page.
- Like other chronic diseases-such as type I diabetes mellitus, which requires
the patient to administer insulin over a lifetime-alcoholism requires the patient
to assume responsibility for participating in continuous treatment. . . . The
high success rates of some alcoholism treatment programs indicate that many
patients can accept responsibility for their treatment. ARESLD (alcohol-related
end-stage liver disease), one of the sequelae of alcoholism, results from 10
to 20 years of heavy alcohol consumption. The risk of ARESLD increases with
the amount of alcohol consumed and with the duration of heavy consumption. .
. . Therefore alcoholics should be held responsible for seeking and obtaining
treatment that could prevent the development of late-stage complications such
as ARESLD (p. 671).
- We do not seek to determine whether a particular transplant candidate is
an abusive parent or a dutiful daughter; whether candidates cheat on their income
taxes or their spouses; or whether potential recipients pay their parking tickets
or routinely lie when they think it is in their best interests. We refrain from
considering such judgments for several good reasons: (1) We cannot pass judgment
fairly. (2) We cannot know what penalties different degrees of misconduct deserve.
(3) Judgments of this kind could not be made consistently in our medical system-and
a fundamental requirement of a fair system in allocating scarce resources is
that it treat all in need of certain goods on the same standard, without unfair
discrimination by group (p. 676).
Download Word file.
Check your work.
Once you have completed this excercise you should:
Go on to Topic 5: Premise Conclusion
or
Go back to Independent Premises
E-mail George Rudebusch at George.Rudebusch@nau.edu
or call (520) 523-7091
