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I don’t understand why E and not C.

E just states what we are trying to find, but it doesn’t actually attack why they are morally in the wrong, it just states what we are looking for.

C on the other hand actually, attacks and weakens the argument. It states that half the patients are the control group. This indicates that doctors are acting morally in the right since there is an inherent risk that they test subject may not receive the drug at all, and even worse no treatment at all (since they are the control group)
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Hi KevinMercurio let me try to help

The introduction of new drugs into the market is frequently prevented by a shortage of human subjects for the clinical trials needed to show that the drugs are safe and effective.- Author has presented a general relation between drugs and human clinical trials. New drugs introduction in market is frequently prevented when there is a shortage of human for clinical trials.

Since the lives and health of people in future generations may depend on treatments that are currently experimental,- Future possibility is presented, which states that people's health and lives relies on currently ongoing experimental treatment

practicing physicians are morally in the wrong- Author concludes physicians are morally wrong

when, in the absence of any treatment proven to be effective, they fail to encourage suitable patients to volunteer for clinical trials.- this is the reason for the conclusion.

Which of the following, if true, casts most doubt on the conclusion of the argument?

We need to find the option that creates doubt on the conclusion. So Author basically assumed if the practicing physicians would have succeeded in convincing the people for trial, we clinical trials would have improved, and that is the moral thung to do.

But just think is the convincing patient a parameter to judge morality. What if the morality lies somewhere else.

Now let's look at choices C and E


(C) Usually, half the patients in a clinical trial serve as a control group and receive a nonactive drug in place of the drug being tested.- it does not talks how morality is acting here. The conclusion still holds.


(E) Physicians have an overriding moral and legal duty to care for the health and safety of their current patients.-this option says physicians lies somewhere else, and that is moral thing to do, so he is morally right to not convince

Hope this helps



KevinMercurio
I don’t understand why E and not C.

E just states what we are trying to find, but it doesn’t actually attack why they are morally in the wrong, it just states what we are looking for.

C on the other hand actually, attacks and weakens the argument. It states that half the patients are the control group. This indicates that doctors are acting morally in the right since there is an inherent risk that they test subject may not receive the drug at all, and even worse no treatment at all (since they are the control group)
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KevinMercurio
I don’t understand why E and not C.

E just states what we are trying to find, but it doesn’t actually attack why they are morally in the wrong, it just states what we are looking for.

C on the other hand actually, attacks and weakens the argument. It states that half the patients are the control group. This indicates that doctors are acting morally in the right since there is an inherent risk that they test subject may not receive the drug at all, and even worse no treatment at all (since they are the control group)
Here is the thing - 50% people will not get the new drug but 50% will. So things could improve for 50% of the people. Those in the control group are not getting the new drug but they are continuing with whatever they are doing today. So they are no worse off. But 50% are better off. So it seems that the physicians are morally wrong in not advocating for the clinical trials. So (C) doesn't weaken the author's argument.

But note that the author says that the well being of the future generations depends on these clinical trials so that is why the doctors should encourage their patients for whom nothing else is working. But what if the physicians have an overriding moral and legal duty to care for the health and safety of their current patients (option (E)? Then it may be their moral obligation to NOT encourage their patients for clinical trials. Look, after all, it is a trial. The drug could easily harm more than any good it may do for them. The drug makers want to rule out that possibility by testing on these test subjects. So if the physician's main moral duty is to their CURRENT patients, not future generations, then it makes sense that they do not encourage their patients to join these trials. That is how it weakens the author's argument.
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