The Language of Argument

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C H A P T E R 1 9 ■ M o r a l R e a s o n i n g

References

Jaini, P.: The Jaina Path of Purification (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1979).

Leopold, A.: A Sand County Almanac (New York: Ballantine Books, 1970).

Schweitzer, A.: The Teaching of Reverence for Life, trans. R. and C. Winston (New

York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1965).

Thomson, J. J.: ‘A defense of abortion’, Philosophy and Public Affairs 1:1 (Fall

1971), 47–66.

1. What are the main consequentialist arguments for abortion? Why does
   Warren think these arguments are inadequate? Do you agree? Why or
   why not?


2. Warren writes, “it is one thing to have a right, and another to be morally
   justified in exercising that right in a particular case.” Which rights and
   cases is she talking about? Why does she draw this distinction?


3. Does Warren argue for a single criterion of moral status? If so, what is it?
   If not, is this a problem for her argument?


4. Is it “other things being equal,... always better to avoid killing a living
   thing”? Why or why not? What does this claim imply about abortion?


5. According to Warren, “To hold that species alone provides a basis for supe-
   rior moral status is arbitrary and unhelpful.” Why does she think this? Do
   you agree? Why or why not?


6. Is late abortion more difficult to justify than early abortion? Why or why
   not?


7. What does Warren mean by “the capacity for moral reciprocity”? Is this
   capacity sufficient for personhood? Is it necessary for personhood? Why
   or why not?


8. Why does birth matter morally, according to Warren? Do you agree?
   Why or why not?


9. Explain what Warren means when she says, “The fetus’s potential lies
   not just in its DNA, but in that maternal and paternal commitment.”
   What does she mean by “potential” here? Do opponents of abortion
   mean the same thing by “potential” when they use this concept to ar-
   gue against abortion?


10. In another famous article, “On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion”
    (The Monist 57, no. 1 (1973): 43–61), Warren imagines the following
    example:
    Suppose that our space explorer falls into the hands of an alien culture,
    whose scientists decide to create a few hundred thousand or more human
    beings, by breaking his body into its component cells, and using these to
    create fully developed human beings with, of course, his genetic code.

Discussion Questions

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