Logic Breakdown

Passage Summary: Nations aren't actually people with feelings or duties, but they can't survive unless their citizens pretend they are so that people will actually fight for them.

Reasoning: Nations lack the literal qualities of persons required for moral rights, yet their survival depends on citizens believing they possess those very rights to inspire sacrifice.

Analysis: This 'Complete the Argument' task requires us to find the logical breaking point of the philosopher's paradox. We are told that nations literally have no moral rights, but they must be perceived as having them to survive. Therefore, the survival of a nation is essentially predicated on a collective misunderstanding or a necessary fiction. Look for an answer that completes the thought by stating that a nation's existence depends on its citizens believing something that is technically false.

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16.

Which one of the following most logically completes the philosopher's argument?

Correct Answer
B
It captures the conditional the philosopher has built: for a nation to survive, many citizens must have literally false beliefs (that the nation has moral rights/responsibilities). That directly follows from the premises.
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