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The best way to pick out formal principles (of logic or ethics) is to
{ 1 } - see which principles impress us with their clarity and certitude.
{ 2 } - search out the principles held by reasonable and intelligent people.
{ 3 } - search for clear formal principles which have definite logical consequences that can be tested against common sense.
{ 4 } - see which principles all humans hold in common.
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Directions: Click on a number from 1 to 4.
1 is wrong. Please try again.
The best way to pick out formal principles (of logic or ethics) is to
{ 1 } - see which principles impress us with their clarity and certitude.
{ 2 } - search out the principles held by reasonable and intelligent people.
{ 3 } - search for clear formal principles which have definite logical consequences that can be tested against common sense.
{ 4 } - see which principles all humans hold in common.
Various great logicians (e.g., Frege, Quine, Copi, ...) have proposed principles that strike us at first with their clarity and certitude -- but that later on were shown to lead to absurdities.
Our first impression isn't that important. More important is whether the principles can survive a careful examination.
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2 is wrong. Please try again.
The best way to pick out formal principles (of logic or ethics) is to
{ 1 } - see which principles impress us with their clarity and certitude.
{ 2 } - search out the principles held by reasonable and intelligent people.
{ 3 } - search for clear formal principles which have definite logical consequences that can be tested against common sense.
{ 4 } - see which principles all humans hold in common.
This has a danger of being circular; we might tend to call "rational" those who more or less agree with us. Besides, most reasonable and intelligent people don't know about the principles of propositional logic -- or the universalizability principle.
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3 is correct!
The best way to pick out formal principles (of logic or ethics) is to
{ 1 } - see which principles impress us with their clarity and certitude.
{ 2 } - search out the principles held by reasonable and intelligent people.
{ 3 } - search for clear formal principles which have definite logical consequences that can be tested against common sense.
{ 4 } - see which principles all humans hold in common.
The popularity of the principles isn't important. Neither is their initial clarity and certainty. What is important is that the principles survive a careful examination. We need principles that work.
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4 is wrong. Please try again.
The best way to pick out formal principles (of logic or ethics) is to
{ 1 } - see which principles impress us with their clarity and certitude.
{ 2 } - search out the principles held by reasonable and intelligent people.
{ 3 } - search for clear formal principles which have definite logical consequences that can be tested against common sense.
{ 4 } - see which principles all humans hold in common.
Not all humans know about the principles of propositional logic -- or the universalizability principle.
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the end