3 9 5W e i g h i n g fa c t o r spossible to understand an opposing view—that is, get a genuine feeling for
its inner workings—even if you disagree with it completely. Logical analysis
might show that particular arguments are unsound or have unnoticed and
unwanted implications. This might force clarification and modification. But
the most important service that logical analysis can perform is to lay bare
the fundamental principles that lie beneath surface disagreements. Analysis
will sometimes show that these disagreements are fundamental and perhaps
irreconcilable. Dealing with such irreconcilable differences in a humane way
is one of the fundamental tasks of a society dedicated to freedom and a wide
range of civil liberties.- Reconstruct and evaluate the arguments against abortion that are stated
or suggested in the following short passages from Ronald Reagan, Abor-
tion and the Conscience of the Nation (New York: Thomas Nelson, 1984). Be
sure to specify the exact conclusion and spell out important suppressed
premises. How would an opponent best respond to each argument?
a. “We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life—the
unborn—without diminishing the value of all human life” (18).
b. “I have often said that when we talk about abortion, we are talking
about two lives—the life of the mother and the life of the unborn child.
Why else do we call a pregnant woman a mother?” (21).
c. “I have also said that anyone who doesn’t feel sure whether we are
talking about a second human life should surely give life the benefit of
the doubt. If you don’t know whether a body is alive or dead, you would
never bury it. I think this consideration itself should be enough for all of
us to insist on protecting the unborn” (21).
d. “Medical practice confirms at every step the correctness of these moral
sensibilities. Modern medicine treats the unborn child as a patient.
Medical pioneers have made great breakthroughs in treating the
unborn—for genetic problems, vitamin deficiencies, irregular heart
rhythms, and other medical conditions” (21–22).
e. “I am convinced that Americans do not want to play God with the value
of human life. It is not for us to decide who is worthy to live and who is
not” (30).
f. “Malcolm Muggeridge, the English writer, goes right to the heart of
the matter: ‘Either life is always and in all circumstances sacred, or
intrinsically of no account; it is inconceivable that it should be in some
cases the one and in some the other’ ” (34). - Reconstruct and evaluate the arguments in defense of abortion that are
stated or suggested in the following short passages from Mary Gordon,
“A Moral Choice,” Atlantic Monthly, April 1990, 78–84. Be sure to specify
the exact conclusion and spell out important suppressed premises. How
would an opponent best respond to each argument?
Discussion Questions(continued)97364_ch19_ptg01_383-422.indd 395 11/15/13 5:45 PM
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