Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the author's argument against harsh punishment for debtors?

filozinni on July 1, 2020

I also have the same question, please provide an explanation!

rebut on July 6, 2020

Is A wrong because there is no comparison offered in that answer between the punitive approach and the author's approach? In other words, just saying that the punitive approach makes debtors more responsible isn't enough to weaken the author's position, because the author's position could also make debtors more responsible.

E, on the other hand, explicitly contrasts the punitive and the author's position.

Is this right? Thanks!

@tarashaf on April 11, 2021

Hi! I would also appreciate a clarification between a and e ! Thank you

Shula on September 17, 2023

Hi, I would also appreciate an explanation of why A is incorrect! Meanwhile, I hope to know why C is incorrect. Thank you so much!

Emil-Kunkin on September 17, 2023

I think a is wrong because the author doesn't really seem to care much about economic responsibility. Rather, the author is concerned with the ability of individuals and companies to continue to produce and contribute to the economy. A is saying that after debtors are imprisoned they tend to borrow less and be more conservative, which doesn't really do anything to contribute to the economy as a whole.

C is wrong because it doesn't seem relevant to the authors argument at all. I just don't see how it would undermine the idea that harsh punishment is bad.

E is correct because it directly shows that harsh punishments do in fact contribute to greater overall prosperity.