MGMAT -Foundations of GMAT Vebal Book- Detail Qn

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Is the rightness of an action determined by its consequences, or by the intentions of the
agent behind the action? Deontological ethics, in contrast to teleological or utilitarian
ethics, asserts the latter. For example, Immanuel Kant argued that the only absolutely
good thing is a good will, and thus that the only means of determining the rightness
of an action is the motive of the person performing that action. Thus, if a person is acting
on a bad maxim ("Stealing is good"), then the action is wrong, even if it produces
some good consequences (e.g., stealing from the rich and giving to the poor). However,
not all deontologists are absolutists: W.D. Ross, for instance, holds that lying is sometimes
the right thing to do if the results of the action are likely to be beneficial.

A criticism levied by Jeremy Bentham, a utilitarian philosopher, is that deontological
ethics were merely a dressed-up version of popular morality, wherein the ostensible
"universal laws" were actually merely subjective opinion. A separate critique of deontology
comes from aretaic theories, which hold that it is not the good will of the agent
nor the consequences of the action that determine the moral rightness of that action-
rather it is the character of the person performing the action. This is by no means a
new idea: the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle is considered the founder of virtue
ethics, which seeks to describe the traits of an ideally virtuous person, and then posit
that we should act in accordance with those traits.

q# 3) According to the passage, virtue ethics:

(A) suggests that individuals should behave like a person whose character
matches an ideal
(B) purports that those acting on a bad maxim can still be morally correct
(C) has been more influential in society than deontological ethics
(D) is more widespread in modern-day Greece than elsewhere
(E) contrasts with teleological ethics in its view of the human will


Correct ans is A
I want to understand the explanation given for the ans choice E

The book says E is incorrect because,

[spoiler](E) INCORRECT. You only know similarities between virtue ethics and teleological theories;
you weren't told of any differences.[/spoiler]

As per my understanding, passage doesn't mention any similarities between virtue ethics and teleological theories.
In the below section of the passage , it seems clear that Virtue Ethics doesn't support either Deontological Ethics or Teleological Ethics:

"A separate critique of deontology comes from aretaic theories, which hold that it is not the good will of the agent nor the consequences of the action that determine the moral rightness of that action-rather it is the character of the person performing the action. This is by no means a
new idea: the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle is considered the founder of virtue
ethics,
which seeks to describe the traits of an ideally virtuous person, and then posit
that we should act in accordance with those traits."

Please explain if you get my question.

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by Mike@Magoosh » Wed May 29, 2013 10:24 am
Dear Bouyant,
First of all, this is a super-difficult passage with a ton of technical vocab. This is a bit "over the top" in terms of what the real GMAT would give you.

As to your question --- the passage says precious little about "virtue ethics" --- just one sentence at the end. When we get this question
3) According to the passage, virtue ethics:
we don't really have much on which to go. We have the content of that one sentence --- that's it.
Choice (A) nails exactly what that sentence says about virtue ethics. It's the only possible correct answer.
Choice (E) is strange -- "[it] contrasts with teleological ethics in its view of the human will." Forget what the source gives as an explanation about what it's wrong: I think that explanation is atrocious. I would say: think about it this way. What does virtue ethics say about the will? This is potentially a huge topic, a topic on which someone could write a dissertation. What do we know about this topic? Essentially, zilch. Yes, technically, if I posit an ideal and try to act in accordance with it, in some way I must be using willpower to do that, but that's already a deduction. What is the exact way in which I would have to use my will in virtue ethics, and how is it similar to or different from how I would have to use me will in any other brand of ethics? Now, we are WAY off from anything the passage supports in the least. (E) is wrong because we have zero information on which to answer the question.
Does this make sense?
Mike :-)
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https://gmat.magoosh.com/

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by lunarpower » Wed Jun 19, 2013 2:39 am
i received a private message about this thread.

it's true that the text of this passage is rather, um, dense. however, that's good practice for the test, in the sense that you must not get lost in details when you read -- so, practicing with passages that are a bit "over the top" (as the previous poster has remarked) can give you good practice in that sense.

regarding the question you posted, though, there's no doubt which answer is correct.

the passage only says one thing about virtue ethics, namely, that it seeks to describe the traits of an ideally virtuous person, and then posit
that we should act in accordance with those traits
.
this is exactly the idea expressed in choice (a), so choice (a) is correct.

the problem with the other choices is that we aren't directly told anything else about virtue ethics.
consider the part that you put in boldface italics. the problem with that quote is that it's not a quote about virtue ethics; it's a quote about "aretaic theories" (these terms make my head spin!).
note the transition/segue into the topic of virtue ethics: This [= judging actions based on the actor's character] is by no means a new idea.
in other words, the idea of judging an action by the actor's character is an aspect of "virtue ethics" ... and that's all we know about it.

the most important thing to say here, though, is that (a) is such an exact match for what's stated there that you simply shouldn't have to bother much with the other choices.
if you get an RC choice that "recycles" the key information that closely, just go ahead and pick it, and move on.
Ron has been teaching various standardized tests for 20 years.

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by vietmoi999 » Fri Jul 05, 2013 8:15 pm
the passage is easy and the question easy too. on the test date, we never get this

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by lunarpower » Sat Jul 06, 2013 6:54 am
vietmoi999 wrote:the passage is easy and the question easy too. on the test date, we never get this
not only does this post add zero value to the discussion, but it insults the poster(s) who found the passage difficult enough to post here in the first place.
we'll thank you not to do this again.
Ron has been teaching various standardized tests for 20 years.

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