Western analytical philosophy has contributed two major elements to t

Question

Western analytical philosophy has contributed two major elements to the theory of the political good. It is unfortunate that the value of the first element, personalism, has been diluted by its close association with the second element, valuational solipsism.

Personalism was developed in response to the belief that nations, states, religions, or any other corporate entity have interests that transcend the interests of the individuals that comprise them. The central tenet of personalism, therefore, is that institutions are good or bad insofar as they are good or bad for the individuals that are affected by them. Institutions are not good, for example, because they preserve the nation’s culture or because they protect the natural world, unless preserving the nation’s culture or protecting the natural world is good for the individual. As a philosophical assumption, personalism is most useful in countering arguments for practices that harm individuals in the name of “the greater good,” or the “society at large.” The personalist credo basically states that when it comes to interests, there are no interests but human interests.

However, an excessive devotion to the theory of personalism may lead one to fall into the trap of valuational solipsism. The word solipsism derives from the Latin for “lone self” and the theory of valuational solipsism takes the isolated individual as the sole judge of value. The problem with this viewpoint is obvious. By using the individual as the measure of the good, valuational solipsism neglects to consider the whole range of social values that are part of the political experience. These values include citizenship, status, and community, none of which can exist without reference to other individuals. Instead, political theories are based entirely on non-social values such as happiness, material welfare, and utility, which are not dependent on interactions with others. Such a view obscures a fundamental quality of the political good.   1

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

A. compare and contrast two important theories of the good in political philosophy
B. defend a theory of the political good based on personalism from the attacks of valuational solipsists
C. argue that an acceptance of personalism necessarily leads to an endorsement of valuational solipsism as well
D. evaluate the impact that two major ideas have on the theory of good in political philosophy
E. reject the theory of valuational solipsism as an appropriate way to arrive at the definition of the political good

2

2. The passage suggests that a follower of personalism would be most likely to reject which one of the following policies?

A. A union head decrees that all members must strike when the union strikes because it increases the power of the union.
B. A politician intends to lower taxes on the middle class to put more of the workers’ money back into their hands.
C. A school decides to abandon its uniform standards after the student body votes against them.
D. The owner of a company decides to cancel the company insurance policy in order to increase his profit.
E. The head of a religious institution announces that its members no longer have to give part of their incomes to the church.

3

3. According to the passage, the author objects to which aspect of valuational solipsism?

A. Adherents of it are less likely to recognize the contributions of personalism.
B. It includes values such as happiness, material welfare, and utility.
C. It fails to consider essential elements of the political good.
D. It places too much value on the individual at the expense of the institution.
E. It justifies policies that cause harm to individuals for the sake of the greater good.

4

4. According to the passage, the primary value of the personality assumption is

A. it refutes the belief that institutions have interests that transcend the interests of individuals
B. it serves as a counterbalance to the excessive nature of valuational solipsism
C. it demonstrates that institutions are incapable of being good or bad
D. it aids in preserving a nation’s culture
E. it provides an effective rejoinder to certain types of justifications

carcass · Answer

#1

Answer: D. In order to answer this question, actively read the passage, focusing on the major points. The introduction gives you the following information:

The next paragraph discusses personalism and states that it is “useful” in some ways. The final paragraph talks about valuational solipsism and states that it “obscures” the fundamental nature of the political good. Choice D is the best match for these points. Choice A is wrong because the two elements are part of the theory of the good, not separate theories. Choice B is wrong because there are no “attacks” from valuational solipsism. Choice C goes too far; the passage says that the two elements can occur together, but not that they “necessarily” go together. Choice E is too narrow because it only addresses the final paragraph.

carcass · Answer

#2

Answer: A. This is a supporting idea question. The passage says that personalism “basically states that when it comes to interests, there are no interests but human interests.” Thus, choice A is correct because a personalist wouldn’t believe that an action increases the strength of a “union.” Choices B, C, D and E all consider the interests of individuals, so a personalist would probably agree with them.

carcass · Answer

#3

Answer: C. This is a supporting idea question. The answer is found in the third paragraph. The author states that “solipsism neglects to consider the whole range of social values that are part of the political experience,” and that “such a view obscures a fundamental quality of the political good.” Choice A is not stated in the passage. Choice B is true of valuational solipsism, but it’s not what the author objects to. Rather, the passage objects to how those values are applied. Choice D is not stated and choice E is contradicted by the passage.

carcass · Answer

#4

Answer: E. This is a supporting idea question. Look in the second paragraph for the answer: “personalism is most useful in countering arguments for practices that harm individuals in the name of ‘the greater good,’ or the ‘society at large’.” Choices A, B, and C go too far; these ideas are not mentioned in the passage. Choice D is the opposite of what the passage states. Choice E is correct—personalism counters certain arguments.

muskaansinha148 · Answer

Please explain Q4 in detail

carcass · Answer

As a philosophical assumption, personalism is most useful in  countering arguments for practices that harm individuals  in the name of “the greater good,” or the “society at large.”

it provides an effective  rejoinder to certain types of justifications

It is an inference question

I hope this helps

Subhradeep20 · Answer

It took me a total of 10 mins to solve this RC. 
My accuracy was 3/4.

Is this a difficult passage?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

The following should be the difficulty level of each question:

1. Hard
2. Hard
3. Hard
4. Very Hard

varad98 · Answer

Although I agree with this inference, the primary value was shared in the first line
Personalism was developed in response to the belief that nations, states, religions, or any other corporate entity have interests that transcend the interests of the individuals that comprise them
Option A summarises this - it refutes the belief that institutions have interests that transcend the interests of individuals

Option D is primary application/ usefulness of Personalism. How can it be primary value?
I thought primary value is meaning or essence of word Personalism.

dhwanit2412 · Answer

Can anyone explain Q4 in a good manner

Aryan19852 · Answer

Understanding Personalism's Primary Value
Personalism focuses on the idea that institutions and practices should be evaluated based on their impact on individuals, rather than on abstract or collective interests. The core value of personalism is its ability to challenge and counteract justifications for policies or practices that harm individuals for the supposed benefit of a greater good or society at large.

E. It provides an effective rejoinder to certain types of justifications
Why This is Correct:

The passage explains that personalism is useful for countering arguments that justify harmful practices by appealing to the “greater good” or societal interests. By focusing on individual well-being, personalism offers a counter-narrative to such justifications.
The passage states: “As a philosophical assumption, personalism is most useful in countering arguments for practices that harm individuals in the name of ‘the greater good,’ or the ‘society at large.’” This aligns with option E, as personalism specifically addresses and challenges these types of justifications.
Why the Other Options Are Not Correct
A. It refutes the belief that institutions have interests that transcend the interests of individuals
While personalism does argue against prioritizing institutional interests over individual interests, this is a part of its function rather than its primary value. The primary value is more about countering justifications for harm rather than directly refuting transcendental institutional interests.
B. It serves as a counterbalance to the excessive nature of valuational solipsism
Personalism and valuational solipsism are contrasted in the passage, but personalism's main value is not just about balancing solipsism. It’s primarily about countering justifications that harm individuals. The passage does not frame personalism’s primary value in terms of balancing solipsism.
C. It demonstrates that institutions are incapable of being good or bad
This is incorrect because personalism does not claim that institutions are incapable of being good or bad. Instead, it evaluates institutions based on their effects on individuals, suggesting they can be good or bad based on these effects.
D. It aids in preserving a nation’s culture
Personalism’s focus is on individual well-being, not on cultural preservation. While cultural preservation may be a byproduct of policies aligned with personalism, it is not the primary value of the philosophy.

Western analytical philosophy has contributed two major elements to t

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