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Essayist: The historical figures that we find most engaging are very rarely those who are morally most virtuous. What most commonly distinguishes them is their bravery and creativity. Thus, moral virtue is not among the characteristics that we admire most, since the people whose lives we would most like to live are those with characteristics we admire most.
Which one of the following is an assumption required by the essayist's argument?
A) The historical figures that we find most engaging are those lives we would most like to live.
B) Bravery and creativity are characteristics that makes it more difficult to be morally virtuous.
C) Historical figures are very rarely morally virtuous.
D) People develops their conception of what makes an individual admirable based on what they know about historical figures
E) Moral virtue is the characteristics of historical figures that we find least engaging.
Why is the correct answer A and not B?
1
4 comments
What is the question?
I’m going to assume this is a N.A. question
Stimulus says:
Historic figures that are most engaging > rarely morally virtuous
HF > brave and confident
People we want to live as > characteristics we admire
CONCLUSION: Moral virtue is not something we value most
If B were true, it doesn’t trigger anything. So what if they’re either brave and confident but not morally virtuous? The phrase “more difficult” is also a red flag becuase more difficult is in that grey area that neither guarantees nor discounts the relationship between the two. Just because something is difficult doesn’t mean it isn’t possible
AC A creates a link between engaging HF > people we want to live as. If you negate it, the argument also falls apart
The conclusion "Moral virtue is not among the characteristics that we admire most" gets "not Moral virtue" from the first premise and "admire most" from the second premise. (A) connects the two premises allowing the conclusion, and (B) does not as "Bravery and creativity" being connected back to morally virtuous doesn't get us any closer to being able to say what characteristics we admire. (B) only deals with the first premise and we need the two connected.