Exercise I: Representing Arguments from Principle in Standard Form.
Exercise Instructions: Represent the following arguments in standard form using the General Form of Argument from Principle.
1. Does the pornography industry wrongfully exploit women, or is a job in porn just another job like any other? I think it is clear that the pornography industry wrongfully exploits women. Many of the women who work in the industry would leave it if they had good alternatives for well-paid work. That means the pornography industry makes money off of people doing things they wouldn't otherwise do if they had other options. Any industry that does that is a wrongfully exploitative industry.
2. Several Christian wedding-cake bakers have refused to bake cakes for same-sex weddings, citing their personal religious conviction that same-sex relationships are offensive to God. Some members and allies of the LGBTQ community have called for these Christian bakers to be fired, or sued, or otherwise penalized. These calls for punishment are misguided. No one should ever be penalized for acting according to their personal religious convictions.
3. Some Christian wedding-cake bakers believe that same-sex relationships are morally wrong. They are free to believe that, but they still have a moral obligation to bake wedding cakes for same-sex couples, and if they refuse to serve same-sex couples they should be penalized. A business owner only has a right to refuse a customer if refusing is necessary to protect employees or other customers from harm.
Exercise II: Brainstorming Objections
First, represent the argument in standard form using the General Form of Argument from Principle. Second, suggest what you think is the best candidate for a counterexample to the principle that grounds the argument. "Premise 1 is false because.....
1. Does the pornography industry wrongfully exploit women, or is a job in porn just another job like any other? I think it is clear that the pornography industry wrongfully exploits women. Many of the women who work in the industry would leave it if they had good alternatives for well-paid work. That means the pornography industry makes money off of people doing things they wouldn't otherwise do if they had other options. Any industry that does that is a wrongfully exploitative industry.
2. Several Christian wedding-cake bakers have refused to bake cakes for same-sex weddings, citing their personal religious conviction that same-sex relationships are offensive to God. Some members and allies of the LGBTQ community have called for these Christian bakers to be fired, or sued, or otherwise penalized. These calls for punishment are misguided. No one should ever be penalized for acting according to their personal religious convictions.
3. Some Christian wedding-cake bakers believe that same-sex relationships are morally wrong. They are free to believe that, but they still have a moral obligation to bake wedding cakes for same-sex couples, and if they refuse to serve same-sex couples they should be penalized. A business owner only has a right to refuse a customer if refusing is necessary to protect employees or other customers from harm.