Self-paced
Philosopher: The rational pursuit of happiness is quite different from always doing what one most strongly desires to do. ████ ██ ███████ ███ ████████ ███████ ██ █████████ ████ ███████ █████████████ ██ █████████ █████████████ ███████ ███ ███████ ███ ███████ ███████ ██ ███ █████ █████ █████████ ███████ ███ █████████ ████████████ ███ █████ ████████ ███████ ██████ ██ ██ █████ █████████ █████████ ████ █████ █████ ███ █████████ ███████████ ████████ █████ █ ██████ ██ ██████ █████ ████ █████ ██ █████████ ████ ████ ████████
Summary
The rational pursuit of happiness is different from doing what one strongly desires to do. The rational pursuit of happiness must include consideration of long-term consequences, whereas desires are usually focused on the short-term. Some desires are compulsions. While ordinary desires result in momentary happiness when their goals are attained, compulsions drive a person to pursue goals that offer no happiness even when reached.
Notable Valid Inferences
The four wrong answers could be true. The correct answer will contradict what we know from the stimulus.
18.
If all of the philosopher's ██████████ ███ █████ ████ ██ ███ █████████ █████ ██ ████ ███████
a
The majority of ██████ ██ ███ ████ ████████████
Could be true. We don’t have any information in the stimulus about what most people experience. It is possible that most people do not have compulsions.
b
Attaining the goal ██ ███ ██████ ███████ ██ █████████ ██████████
Must be false. The stimulus tells us that some desires are compulsions, and compulsions result in no happiness. Therefore, it is impossible for all desires to result in momentary happiness.
c
Most people do ███ ██████ █████████ ███████████
Could be true. We don’t have any information in the stimulus about what most people experience. It is possible that most people do not rationally pursue happiness.
d
Most people want ████ ████ █████ ███ ████████ ██████████
Could be true. We don’t have any information in the stimulus about what most people want. It is possible that most people desire more than personal happiness.
e
All actions have █████████ █████████████
Could be true. We don’t have any information in the stimulus about what actions have what consequences. We only know that rational pursuit of happiness requires considering long-term consequences.