Self-study
Philosopher: Wolves do not tolerate an attack by one wolf on another if the latter wolf demonstrates submission by baring its throat. ███ ████ ██ ████ ██ █████ ███ ████████████ █████ ██ ██ █████ ██ █████████ ██ ████ ████ ███████ ████ ██████ ██ ███ ███████ ████ ████ █████ ██████ ███ ███████ ██ ███████ █████ ██████
Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
OPA: Only human beings are capable of obeying moral rules therefore that animals don’t have rights.
Conclusion: That’s wrong.
Premise: Wolves, foxes, and domesticated dogs are capable of obeying moral rules.
Describe Method of Reasoning
Author challenges an argument on the grounds that it contains a false premise.
26.
The philosopher's argument proceeds by ██████████ ██
a
provide counterexamples to ██████ █ ███████ ██ █████ █ ██████████ ██████████ ██ █████
Descriptively accurate. Wolves, foxes, and domesticated dogs are counterexamples to the (other people’s) premise that only human beings are capable of obeying moral rules.
b
establish inductively that ███ ███████ ███████ ████ ████ ██ ████████
Descriptively inaccurate. Reasoning by induction is where specific instances are used to generalize up to a broader conclusion. The author’s point about wolves, foxes, and dogs isn’t to prove via induction that therefore all animals possess some form of morality.
c
cast doubt on ███ █████████ ████ █████ ███████ ██ ███████ █████ █████ ██ █ █████████ █████████ ███ ██████ ██████
Descriptively inaccurate. The author does not cast doubt on this principle. In fact, the author may agree with this principle. The author is merely establishing that this principle doesn’t preclude some animals (e.g., wolves, foxes, and dogs) from having rights.
d
establish a claim ██ ███████ ████ ███ ██████ ██ ████ █████ ███████ █ ███████ █████████████
Descriptively inaccurate. If the author were trying to do this, he would have to argue:
If animals didn’t have rights, a logical contradiction would result. We can’t accept logical contradictions. Therefore, animals have rights.
That’s not the author’s argument.
e
provide evidence suggesting ████ ███ ███████ ██ ████████ ██ █████ ███████ ███ ███████
Descriptively inaccurate. Seems to be just the opposite. The author’s point is that the concept of morality is erroneously applied too narrowly to just human beings. He argues that it should also apply to some animals (wolves, foxes, and dogs).