Consumer advocate: One advertisement that is deceptive, and thus moral

Question

Consumer advocate: One advertisement that is deceptive, and thus morally wrong, states that “gram for gram, the refined sugar used in our chocolate pies is no more fattening than the sugars found in fruits and vegetables.” This is like trying to persuade someone that chocolate pies are not fattening by saying that, calorie for calorie, they are no more fattening than celery. True, but it would take a whole shopping cart full of celery to equal a chocolate pie’s worth of calories.

Advertiser: This advertisement cannot be called deceptive. It is, after all, true.

Which one of the following principles, if established would do most to support the consumer advocate’s position against the advertiser’s response?

(A) It is morally wrong to seek to persuade by use of deceptive statements.

(B) A true statement should be regarded as deceptive only if the person making the statement believes it to be false, and thus intends the people reading or hearing it to acquire a false belief.

(C) To make statements that impart only a small proportion of the information in one’s possession should not necessarily be regarded as deceptive.

(D) It is morally wrong to make a true statement in a manner that will deceive hearers or readers of the statement into believing that it is false.

(E) A true statement should be regarded as deceptive if it is made with the expectation that people hearing or reading the statement will draw a false conclusion from it.

pranayeekarmakar · Answer

E-> because the advertiser believes it to be true and expects the consumer to draw a false conclusion.

jrk23 · Answer

Consumer advocate: One advertisement that is deceptive, and thus morally wrong, states that “gram for gram, the refined sugar used in our chocolate pies is no more fattening than the sugars found in fruits and vegetables.” This is like trying to persuade someone that chocolate pies are not fattening by saying that, calorie for calorie, they are no more fattening than celery. True, but it would take a whole shopping cart full of celery to equal a chocolate pie’s worth of calories. 
 
Advertiser: This advertisement cannot be called deceptive. It is, after all, true. 
 
Which one of the following principles, if established would do most to support the consumer advocate’s position against the advertiser’s response?

(A) It is morally wrong to seek to persuade by use of deceptive statements. 
 
(B) A true statement should be regarded as deceptive only if the person making the statement believes it to be false, and thus intends the people reading or hearing it to acquire a false belief. 
 
(C) To make statements that impart only a small proportion of the information in one’s possession should not necessarily be regarded as deceptive. 
 
(D) It is morally wrong to make a true statement in a manner that will deceive hearers or readers of the statement into believing that it is false. 
 
(E) A true statement should be regarded as deceptive if it is made with the expectation that people hearing or reading the statement will draw a false conclusion from it. 
Here we need to find a statement that will support the advocate reasoning that advertiser are deceiving the people. Calories for calories is true but the amount of calories we get from how much quantity of each is not mentioned. So he is deceiving the consumer. 
If you will go the choices you will get stuck in option "D" and in option "E". 
In d it is mention that consumer need to believe that it is false. 
So between "d" and "e" . 
"E" is correct 
Please correct me if I am wrong

egmat · Answer

The Core Conflict: 
The advertiser claims: "It's true, so it  cannot  be deceptive."
The consumer advocate disagrees. Let's see why.

Breaking Down the Ad's Trick: 
The ad states: "gram for gram, refined sugar is no more fattening than fruit sugars."

This is  technically true  - sugar is sugar, chemically speaking.

But here's the  trap :  What conclusion will readers draw?

"Oh, chocolate pies aren't that fattening!"

This is  FALSE  - because a single chocolate pie contains  vastly more  sugar than a serving of fruit. The "gram for gram" comparison is meaningless when serving sizes differ enormously.

What Principle Do We Need? 
We need a principle that says:  True statements CAN still be deceptive under certain conditions.

This would support the advocate and defeat the advertiser's "but it's true!" defense.

Why Answer E Works:

(E) states: "A true statement should be regarded as deceptive if it is made with the expectation that people will draw a false conclusion from it."

This is  exactly  what the ad does:
- True statement?  Yes  (sugar is sugar, gram for gram)
- Expectation of false conclusion?  Yes  (readers will think chocolate pies aren't fattening)
- Therefore:  Deceptive

Why Other Answers Fail:

(A) Just says deception is wrong - doesn't establish that THIS ad is deceptive

(B)  Common mistake  - This actually  helps the advertiser  by requiring the speaker to believe the statement is false. The advertiser believes it's true!

(C) Says partial information isn't "necessarily" deceptive - weakens the advocate's position

(D) About making people think a true statement is false - completely different scenario

Answer: E

Consumer advocate: One advertisement that is deceptive, and thus moral

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Consumer advocate: One advertisement that is deceptive, and thus moral

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