Warning: foreach() argument must be of type array|object, bool given in /var/www/html/web/app/themes/studypress-core-theme/template-parts/header/mobile-offcanvas.php on line 20

Many environmentalists have urged environmental awareness on consumers, saying that if we accept moral responsibility for our effects on the environment, then products that directly or indirectly harm the environment ought to be avoided. Unfortunately it is usually impossible for consumers to assess the environmental impact of a product, and thus impossible for them to consciously restrict their purchases to environmentally benign products. Because of this impossibility there can be no moral duty to choose products in the way these environmentalists urge, since Which one of the following principles provides the most appropriate completion for the argument? (A) a moral duty to perform an action is never based solely on the effects the action will have on other people (B) a person cannot possibly have a moral duty to do what he or she is unable to do (C) moral considerations should not be the sole determinants of what products are made available to consumers (D) the morally right action is always the one whose effects produce the least total harm (E) where a moral duty exists, it supersedes any legal duty and any other kind of duty

Short Answer

Expert verified
(B) a person cannot possibly have a moral duty to do what he or she is unable to do.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Argument

The argument states that consumers are unable to assess the environmental impact of products, making it impossible for them to responsibly choose products. It concludes that because of this impossibility, there cannot be a moral duty to select environmentally friendly products.
02

Identify Key Aspect of the Argument

The key aspect here is the concept of impossibility. The argument hinges on the idea that because it is impossible for consumers to accurately assess environmental impacts, they cannot hold a moral obligation in choosing products.
03

Analyze Each Principle

Review each principle to evaluate which one aligns with the idea that inability affects moral duty. Option (A) talks about effects on other people, which is unrelated to the argument of impossibility. Option (C) talks about moral considerations in production, not consumer choice. Option (D) deals with the outcomes of actions, not the ability to recognize those outcomes. Option (E) deals with prioritization of duties, not impossibility.
04

Identify the Correct Principle

Option (B) states that a person cannot have a moral duty to do what is impossible for them to do. This directly matches the argument's premise that assessing the environmental impact is impossible, thus negating a moral duty.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Environmental Awareness
Being environmentally aware means understanding how natural systems function and recognizing the impact human behavior has on them. This awareness often translates into making more sustainable choices, such as reducing energy consumption or recycling materials.
By increasing environmental awareness, individuals can begin to understand the importance of their role in protecting natural resources.
Environmental awareness in the context of consumer behavior involves:
  • Choosing products with minimal negative environmental effects.
  • Supporting companies with sustainable practices.
  • Reducing personal carbon footprints.
An informed consumer will seek out knowledge about the environmental footprint of their purchases and aim to make choices that support global sustainability objectives. Overall, raising environmental awareness is a crucial step toward achieving a more sustainable coexistence with our planet.
Moral Responsibility
Moral responsibility refers to the ethical obligation individuals have to make choices that consider the welfare of others and the impact on the environment. This often involves making efforts to mitigate harm and promote positive outcomes.
In the realm of environmental ethics, moral responsibility entails:
  • Understanding the interconnectedness of actions and global environmental effects.
  • Acknowledging one's role in environmental degradation and striving for improvement.
  • Advocating and practicing sustainability principles in daily life.
However, as outlined in the exercise, moral responsibility can be limited by a person's ability to discern the environmental impacts of their consumer actions. Without the necessary information, the ability to act morally becomes constrained, thus influencing the extent of one's moral obligations.
Consumer Ethics
Consumer ethics involves the practice of integrating moral values within purchasing decisions. It emphasizes the idea that consumers should consider the ethical implications of their consumption choices, reflecting on both social and environmental outcomes.
  • Purchases should align with ethical beliefs and values.
  • The focus should be on fair trade, sustainability, and minimizing harm.
  • Ethical consumers often support businesses that demonstrate responsible practices.
Labeling and transparency from companies help consumers make better ethical choices; but when this information is absent or unclear, consumers face challenges in aligning their purchases with their ethical standards. The dilemma presented in the exercise highlights this issue, questioning whether consumers can be held morally liable for harmful impacts they are unable to assess.
Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a systematic process that evaluates the potential environmental effects of a proposed project or action. While it is primarily a tool for policy and planning, broader understanding of its principles can empower consumers to make more informed choices.
  • An EIA typically considers the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts that a project might have on the environment.
  • It provides a basis for decision-making by predicting environmental impacts and suggesting mitigation measures.
  • Consumers looking to evaluate environmental impact might not have full-scale EIA resources but can look for certified labels or eco-friendly product certifications as proxies.
Generally, reliable information from assessments can guide consumer behavior toward supporting sustainable practices. The exercise underlines the difficulty that consumers face without accessible environmental impact data, questioning the feasibility of holding them morally accountable for their purchase decisions.

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

It was once believed that cells grown in laboratory tissue cultures were essentially immortal. That is, as long as all of their needs were met, they would continue dividing forever. However, it has been shown that normal cells have a finite reproductive limit. A human liver cell, for example, divides 60 times and then stops. If such a cell divides 30 times and then is put into a deep freeze for months or even years, it "remembers" where it stopped dividing. After thawing, it divides another 30 times - but no more. If the information above is accurate, a liver cell in which more than 60 divisions took place in a tissue culture CANNOT be which one of the following? (A) an abnormal human liver cell (B) a normal human liver cell that had been frozen after its first division and afterward thawed (C) a normal cell that came from the liver of an individual of a nonhuman species and had never been frozen (D) a normal liver cell that came from an individual of a nonhuman species and had been frozen after its first division and afterward thawed (E) an abnormal cell from the liver of an individual of a nonhuman species

Nutritionists have recommended that people eat more fiber. Advertisements for a new fiber-supplement pill state only that it contains " 44 percent fiber." The advertising claim is misleading in its selection of information on which to focus if which one of the following is true? (A) There are other products on the market that are advertised as providing fiber as a dietary supplement. (B) Nutritionists base their recommendation on medical findings that dietary fiber protects against some kinds of cancer. (C) It is possible to become addicted to some kinds of advertised pills, such as sleeping pills and painkillers. (D) The label of the advertised product recommends taking 3 pills every day. (E) The recommended daily intake of fiber is 20 to 30 grams, and the pill contains one-third gram.

Student representative: Our university, in expelling a student who verbally harassed his roommate, has erred by penalizing the student for doing what he surely has a right to do: speak his mind! Dean of students: But what you're saying is that our university should endorse verbal harassment. Yet surely if we did that, we would threaten the free flow of ideas that is the essence of university life. Which one of the following is a questionable technique that the dean of students uses in attempting to refute the student representative? (A) challenging the student representative's knowledge of the process by which the student was expelled (B) invoking a fallacious distinction between speech and other sorts of behavior (C) misdescribing the student representative's position, thereby making it easier to challenge (D) questioning the motives of the student representative rather than offering reasons for the conclusion defended (E) relying on a position of power to silence the opposing viewpoint with a threat

Edwina: True appreciation of Mozart's music demands that you hear it exactly as he intended it to be heard; that is, exactly as he heard it. Since he heard it on eighteenth-century instruments, it follows that so should we. Alberto: But what makes you think that Mozart ever heard his music played as he had intended it to be played? After all, Mozart was writing at a time when the performer was expected, as a matter of course, not just to interpret but to modify the written score. Alberto adopts which one of the following strategies in criticizing Edwina's position? (A) He appeals to an academic authority in order to challenge the factual basis of her conchusion. (B) He attacks her judgment by suggesting that she does not recognize the importance of the performer's creativity to the audience's appreciation of a musical composition. (C) He defends a competing view of musical authenticity. (D) He attacks the logic of her argument by suggesting that the conclusion she draws does not follow from the premises she sets forth. (E) He offers a reason to believe that one of the premises of her argument is false.

The case of the French Revolution is typically regarded as the best evidence for the claim that societies can reap more benefit than harm from a revolution. But even the French Revolution serves this role poorly, since France at the time of the Revolution had a unique advantage. Despite the Revolution, the same civil servants and functionaries remained in office, carrying on the day-to-day work of government, and thus many of the disruptions that revolutions normally bring were avoided. Which one of the following most accurately characterizes the argumentative strategy used in the passage? (A) demonstrating that the claim argued against is internally inconsistent (B) supporting a particular position on the basis of general principles (C) opposing a claim by undermining evidence offered in support of that claim (D) justifying a view through the use of a series of persuasive examples (E) comparing two positions in order to illustrate their relative strengths and weaknesses

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on English Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free