Principle ApplicationDiff: Hardest
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: An ethicist defines a fair society using two rules: everyone gets the same basic rights, and if some people are richer than others, that setup has to help everyone and the high-paying jobs must be available to anyone.
Reasoning: A society is defined as just if and only if everyone has equal basic liberties and any wealth inequality benefits everyone and is tied to jobs open to all.
Analysis: This stimulus provides a 'biconditional' definition, meaning the conditions are both necessary and sufficient for a society to be considered just. To find a judgment that conforms, we need a scenario that perfectly aligns with these criteria—either a society that meets all requirements and is called just, or one that fails at least one and is called unjust. Pay close attention to the 'everyone's advantage' and 'open to everyone' clauses. If a high-paying job is restricted to a certain class, the society is unjust regardless of how much wealth it generates.
Reasoning: A society is defined as just if and only if everyone has equal basic liberties and any wealth inequality benefits everyone and is tied to jobs open to all.
Analysis: This stimulus provides a 'biconditional' definition, meaning the conditions are both necessary and sufficient for a society to be considered just. To find a judgment that conforms, we need a scenario that perfectly aligns with these criteria—either a society that meets all requirements and is called just, or one that fails at least one and is called unjust. Pay close attention to the 'everyone's advantage' and 'open to everyone' clauses. If a high-paying job is restricted to a certain class, the society is unjust regardless of how much wealth it generates.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage24.Which one of the following judgments most closely conforms to the principle described above?
Correct Answer
D
D directly violates condition (1): it creates inequalities in basic liberties. Per the principle, any society lacking equal basic liberties is not just, regardless of how it distributes income and wealth. So concluding “not just” conforms to the ethicist’s standard.
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