Philosopher: Nations are not literally persons; they
have no thoughts or feelings, and, literally
speaking, they perform no actions. Thus they
have no moral rights or responsibilities. But no
nation can survive unless many of its citizens
attribute such rights and responsibilities to it, for
nothing else could prompt people to make the
sacrifices national citizenship demands.
Obviously, then, a nation _______.
Which one of the following most logically completes
the philosopher's argument?
(A) cannot continue to exist unless something other
than the false belief that the nation has moral
rights motivates its citizens to make sacrifices
(B) cannot survive unless many of its citizens have
some beliefs that are literally false
(C) can never be a target of moral praise or blame
(D) is not worth the sacrifices that its citizens make
on its behalf
(E) should always be thought of in metaphorical
rather than literal terms