Beyond Feelings

170 PART THREE A Strategy
You cannot really love God unless you love your neighbor. (Anonymous)
The covetous man is ever in want. (Horace)
The absent are always at fault. (Spanish proverb)
The girl who can’t dance says the band can’t play. (Yiddish proverb)
7. Evaluate the following arguments, following the approach you learned in
Chapter 7. Take care to avoid the errors in thinking summarized in Chapter 13.
a. Background note: Concern over the possibly damaging effects of pornography on
children has led many people to lobby for laws banning the sale of pornography
to anyone under eighteen. Others object to this, sometimes offering the following
argument:
Argument: Young people today are more sophisticated than in any generation
in this century. They are able to decide better than anyone else, including
their parents, what books and magazines they should read. The
ban on the sale of pornography to anyone under eighteen is a denial of
young people’s right to think for themselves and therefore should be
opposed.
b. Background note: The practice of infertile couples contracting with surrogate
mothers to bear a child for them for a fee has given rise to thorny issues. For
example, what should happen when the surrogate signs a contract, accepts a fee,
is artificially inseminated, carries the baby to term, and then decides she will
return the money and keep the child? Should she be held to the contract and be
made to surrender the baby? Those who say no usually argue as follows:
Argument: Although contracts should be honored in the vast majority of
cases, this kind of case is an exception. The act of nurturing a new life
within one’s own body can establish the strongest of human bonds. No
contract or legal ruling should ever be allowed to break that bond.
8. Apply your critical thinking to each of the following issues. Make a special
effort to recall situations you have observed that are related to the issue, and
ask yourself, “What conclusion do these observations point to?” (If your observations
have been too limited, solicit the observations of other people.)
a. In recent years, books and articles have warned people of the dangers
of “workaholism.” During the same period there have been few, if any,
warnings about chronic laziness. Which is more prevalent in this country
today, workaholism or chronic laziness?
b. The view of winning attributed to Vince Lombardi is “Winning isn’t
everything—it’s the only thing.” Is this a healthy view to bring to athletic
competition? To other forms of competition?
c. Many people believe parents should be held legally and financially responsible
for children over the age of sixteen who live at home. Is this
a reasonable stance?