Principle JustifyDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Since the government can't use your private thoughts against you, they shouldn't be allowed to use your diary either, because a diary is just your thoughts on paper.
Conclusion: Governments should be prohibited from using an individual's personal diaries as evidence against them in criminal cases.
Reasoning: Diaries are essentially silent conversations with oneself, and there is no meaningful difference between thinking, speaking to oneself, and writing those thoughts down.
Analysis: The argument relies on a 'Gap' between the nature of a diary and the legal protections afforded to thoughts. To justify this, we need a principle that bridges the two: if a certain type of private communication (like internal thought) is protected, then anything functionally equivalent to it (like a diary) must also be protected. Look for an answer that establishes a rule about treating physical records of private thoughts with the same privacy as the thoughts themselves.
Conclusion: Governments should be prohibited from using an individual's personal diaries as evidence against them in criminal cases.
Reasoning: Diaries are essentially silent conversations with oneself, and there is no meaningful difference between thinking, speaking to oneself, and writing those thoughts down.
Analysis: The argument relies on a 'Gap' between the nature of a diary and the legal protections afforded to thoughts. To justify this, we need a principle that bridges the two: if a certain type of private communication (like internal thought) is protected, then anything functionally equivalent to it (like a diary) must also be protected. Look for an answer that establishes a rule about treating physical records of private thoughts with the same privacy as the thoughts themselves.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage9.Which one of the following principles, if valid, provides the most support for the legal theorist's argument?
Correct Answer
C
It states that governments should not use an individual’s remarks to prosecute unless those remarks were intended for other people. Since a diary is self-directed and not intended for others—and the theorist equates writing to oneself with private thought—this principle directly supports the conclusion that diaries should not be admissible against the writer.
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