Chapter 12 Moral, Legal, and Aesthetic Reasoning Answer Key
Short Answer Questions
1.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
Morgan is old enough to understand the consequences of not paying the fine on time.
Not a value judgment.
2.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
Morgan should have paid the fine on time.
Nonmoral value judgment.
3.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
It is getting late. We should go home.
Nonmoral value judgment.
4.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
Jake will pay Mrs. Sly the money he owes, if he knows what’s good for him.
Not a value judgment (presuming the last clause simply makes a prediction).
5.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
According to the contract, Hazel was supposed to pay Bert one hundred dollars last
month.
Not a value judgment.
6.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
The program Sam wrote for finding repeating decimals works wonderfully, and it’s only
thirty-five lines long—that’s real elegance.
Nonmoral value judgment (at a minimum, it asks for approval).
7.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
The dog was clearly in pain, but nobody was doing anything about it.
Not a value judgment.
8.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
It is wrong for the United States to intervene in local wars outside U.S. territory.
Moral value judgment.
9.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
It is not in the best interests of the United States to intervene in local wars outside U.S.
territory.
Not a value judgment.
10.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
Miami is too hot this time of the year.
Not a value judgment.
11.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
There ought to be a law against doing what Selena has done to her hair.
Nonmoral value judgment (even if it isn’t literally prescribing a statute).
12.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
If you don’t get rid of your dog’s fleas, it’s going to be miserable.
Not a value judgment.
13.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
You should get rid of your dog’s fleas so that it won’t be miserable.
Nonmoral value judgment.
14.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
You ought to get to know Samuel.
Nonmoral value judgment.
15.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
Richard is a nice fellow once you get to know him.
Not a value judgment.
16.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
The paint job on Linda’s car is awful—looks as though somebody did it with a brush.
Nonmoral value.
17.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
Alicia has not been entirely honest with her husband; that much is clear.
No value, provided that the claim means only that she hasn’t been entirely truthful; if more
than that is meant, our answer is “moral value.”
12-7
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18.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
Kelly did the right thing by turning in the wallet he found in the street.
Moral value.
19.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were the best football team of the 1970s, and the Forty-Niners
were the team of the ‘80s. The Redskins were the best of the ‘90s. But the Patriots will
turn out to be the best of the 2000s.
Nonmoral value.
20.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
Everybody should be as fair as Mario tries to be.
Moral value.
21.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
All cigarette advertising should be strictly regulated.
Moral value, under most circumstances. (We can imagine one instance in which the
statement could express a nonmoral value: when a cigarette manufacturer makes the
statement to another cigarette manufacturer, adding, “… or else they’re going to eliminate
it entirely.”)
22.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
The advertising for that “miracle” cleaner is fraudulent.
Moral value, although it could be read as simply stating a fact. If the fact is that, based on
empirically evaluable standards, the claim is false, then this statement expresses no value
at all (not counting ‘truth value’).
23.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
It is bothersome to call someone after 9:00 p.m.
Nonmoral value judgment
24.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
She was really hurt by the way he treated her.
We think most people would be expressing a moral value by this remark.
25.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
The regime in China is harshly repressive.
Moral value.
26.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
Everybody has a legal right to an education.
No value.
27.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
I like Beethoven’s Third Symphony better than his Ninth.
Nonmoral value.
28.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
His whole lecture was boring.
Nonmoral value.
29.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
It is my turn to deal.
No value.
30.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
It’s no surprise that they’ve stopped seeing each other.
No value.
31.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
The carpenter’s work in remodeling the kitchen was excellent.
Nonmoral value.
32.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
Everybody should be as kind and generous as Janice.
Moral value.
33.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
The judge in this case is a very informed person.
Nonmoral value.
34.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
The judge’s decision was the right one, and everybody got just what they deserved.
Moral value.
35.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
The sketches we got back from the designer were awful.
Nonmoral value.
12–13
36.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
Allison’s necklace is very old.
Nonmoral value (indicates that the necklace is valuable because of its age).
37.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
The Rosens’ wedding ceremony was the loveliest one I’ve ever seen.
Nonmoral value.
38.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
The last set of essays was much better written than the first set.
Nonmoral value.
39.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
Jim ought to learn to take his hat off when he’s in someone else’s home.
Nonmoral value.
40.
State whether the following item expresses moral value or nonmoral value; or no value at
all.
Pat won a free trip to Europe—she’s the luckiest person I know.
No value.
41.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
When Sarah bought the lawn mower from Jean, she promised to pay another fifty dollars
on the first of the month. Since it’s now the first, Sarah should pay Jean the money.
People should keep their promises.
42.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
John has done something terribly wrong. He copied all of the equations on the take-home
exam from Tony’s paper and turned them in as his own.
A person ought not to claim credit for the work of others.
43.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
Scotty’s mother not only is getting too old to take care of herself but also is unable to pay
for proper care in a nursing home. It seems to me that Scotty should either take her in or
otherwise make sure she is taken care of properly.
One should take care of one’s parents when they cannot take care of themselves or afford
to pay for someone else to do so.
44.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
Mr. Thomas ought to treat his pets better. He feeds them so little that they look like
they’re starving to death.
People who feed their pets too little ought to treat them better.
45.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
Mortimer did the right thing when he decided to start a regular deduction from his
paycheck on behalf of the United Way.
Actions that support charities are morally right.
46.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
Daniel was bad yesterday. He let only one of the two children who live next door ride his
new bike.
A child should treat other children equitably when playing with a new possession.
47.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
I think Martin’s pushing his children into dangerous sports like football and motocross
racing is immoral.
Parents should not push their children into dangerous sports or activities.
48.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
Karen and Gina were roommates for about five months, and, as far as Gina knew, they had
planned to room together until the end of the school year. But when Gina returned from a
weekend at her parents’, Karen had moved out. Since she couldn’t find a new roommate
on such short notice, Gina asked Karen to pay half of the next month’s rent, but Karen
answered that she didn’t owe the rent since she wasn’t living there anymore. I think Karen
should pay at least half of one month’s rent, since Gina was led to believe Karen was
going to be living there and paying half.
When one person acts to produce reasonable expectations on the part of another, the first
should compensate the second for failure to meet those expectations when it leaves the
second at a disadvantage.
49.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
Harold is obligated to supply ten cords of firewood to the lodge by the beginning of
October, since he signed a contract guaranteeing delivery of the wood by that date.
People should abide by the terms of contracts they agree to.
50.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
Dr. Shelby is getting away with charging outrageous fees because she is the only
physician in town. She really ought to lower her rates so that she won’t be taking
advantage of the isolation of the community.
Physicians (or others) should not set fee schedules that take advantage of others.
51.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
The computer programs we recently received are all “shareware”—they are accompanied
by notices saying that anyone who keeps and uses the program should send a small fee to
the author. I think it’s only right that we send a check to two of the program authors, since
we’ve started getting a lot of use out of two of the programs.
It is morally correct to compensate others whose work you voluntarily benefit from.
52.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
If the Simmonses don’t begin teaching their son some discipline, he’s going to grow up to
be an irresponsible adult. That would amount to moral irresponsibility on the part of the
Simmonses.
Morally responsible parents do what they can in order to ensure that their children grow
up to be morally responsible adults.
53.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
Look, Sam! There’s been a bad accident up ahead. We really ought to stop and see
whether there’s any way we can help.
In circumstances where others may desperately need help and one can provide such help
at no great disadvantage to oneself, then one should do so.