Critical Reasoning

some old but good question

Essayist: Only happiness is intrinsically valuable; other things are valuable only insofar as they contribute to happiness. Some philosophers argue that the fact that we do not approve of a bad person�s being happy shows that we value happiness only when it is deserved. This supposedly shows that we find something besides happiness to be intrinsically valuable. But the happiness people deserve is determined by the amount of happiness they bring to others. Therefore, ______

Which one of the following most logically completes the final sentence of the essayist�s argument?

(A) the notion that people can be deserving of happiness is ultimately incoherent

(B) people do not actually value happiness as much as they think they do

(C) the judgment that a person deserves to be happy is itself to be understood in terms of happiness

(D) the only way to be assured of happiness is to bring happiness to those who have done something to deserve it

(E) a truly bad person cannot actually be very happy

OA after few posts.

user123321

imo d

structure -
1 other things contribute --> happiness -> value.
2. deserving --> value
3. happiness to others -> deserving

hence, deserving -->happiness --> value

D,E - extreme. Eliminate.
B - comparative value is not the focus here. eliminate.

between A and C

A ultimately incoherent - wrong since there is a definite paraphrase. eliminate.

C links with paraphrase. C it is.

Has to be "C"

A. is illogical with reference to the argument. It tells us that people can be deserving of happiness if there is some goodness about it (broadly speaking)

B. The whole argument is dedicated to happiness and explicitly states that people value happiness. The means by which it is attained are questioned.

C. Yes. This should be correct. You run a check on the reason for happiness and only then you attribute the deservedness of happiness to it. That seems to be where the argument is heading.

D. Assurity of happiness is not in question. The validity of happiness is in question here.

E. Same as D. Assurity of happiness is not in question. So out again.

OA is C

user123321