A philosopher argues: 'Capital punishment is completely justified because the state has the moral authority to execute murderers.' What fallacy is committed?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Begging the question by assuming the disputed moral authority
- Step 1: The argument attempts to justify capital punishment by asserting that the state has authority to execute, which is the very question in dispute. Presupposing the truth of the contested point within the premise is begging the question (petitio principii). Answer: Begging the question by assuming the disputed moral authority. Why not the others: "Hasty generalization sample" jumps to a broad universal claim from an insufficient number of instances; "Weak analogy comparison" compares two situations that lack essential systemic resemblances; "Fallacy of composition" erroneously attributes characteristics of parts to the overarching whole.
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