PrepTest 136, Section 2, Question 20
Daniel: There are certain actions that moral duty(71 more words not shown)
The dialogue most supports the(22 more words not shown)
- ANo one can(11 more words not shown)
- BSome actions that(10 more words not shown)
- CAll actions that(11 more words not shown)
- DAn action performed(8 more words not shown)
- EIf a person's(17 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Daniel cares about why someone does the right thing. Carrie says that motive cannot be an additional requirement.
Imagine two people performing the same duty. One acts because it is the right thing to do; the other acts only from fear of punishment. Daniel says fulfilling the obligation isn't enough to make an action morally good. The action must also be performed with the right motivation. Notice the direction: having the right motive is required, but Daniel hasn't said it guarantees that an action is good.
Carrie argues that we don't consciously control our motivations, so the only requirement should be fulfilling the obligation. I'd want to hear why a lack of conscious control prevents motives from mattering. That connection isn't explained. But Carrie still requires fulfillment of a moral obligation; she isn't excusing every action or saying only consequences count.
What we’re looking for
For the disagreement, focus on an action that fulfills a duty but has the wrong motive. Daniel rules out its being morally good. Carrie rejects that extra restriction. We're assessing the action here, not deciding whether its performer is a good person overall.
Working the answers
- A
Carrie's reasoning may suggest that moral requirements must concern something we can control. But Daniel says nothing that commits him to accepting or rejecting this broader claim about impossible actions. To locate a disagreement, we need a position from both speakers, not a plausible implication of only one person's view.
- B
Daniel allows for this possibility: right motivation is necessary, but he doesn't say it's sufficient. Carrie could also think an action with a fine motive fails to fulfill a moral obligation and therefore isn't good. The speakers needn't disagree about whether good motives sometimes accompany actions that aren't morally good.
- C
Fulfilling a duty and acting in order to fulfill a duty are different. Someone could do what duty requires to avoid punishment, rather than because it is a duty. Neither speaker claims that every action fulfilling an obligation is motivated by a desire to fulfill it. This isn't the disagreement they express.
- DCorrect
Daniel agrees: an action with the wrong motivation cannot be morally good, because the right motivation is required. Carrie disagrees: fulfillment of the obligation is the only requirement, so a wrong motive cannot independently disqualify an otherwise qualifying action. D isolates their dispute over whether motivation is an additional condition.
- E
Even if acting from duty counts as the right motivation, Daniel doesn't say that a right motivation guarantees a morally good action. Carrie likewise requires fulfillment of an obligation, not merely motivation based on duty. This proposed guarantee doesn't supply opposing commitments from the two speakers.
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