Day18 Neither stronger ethics regulations nor stronger enforcement mechanisms are necessary to ensure ethical behavior

The following is an excerpt from a memo written by the head of a governmental department：

“Neither stronger ethics regulations nor stronger enforcement mechanisms are necessary to ensure ethical behavior by companies doing business with this department.We already have a code of ethics that companies doing business with this department are urged to abide by，and virtually all of these companies have agreed to follow it.We also know that the code is relevant to the current business environment because it was approved within the last year，and in direct response to speci？c violations committed by companies with which we were then working——not in abstract anticipation of potential violations，as so many such codes are.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument.For example，you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion.You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument，what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound，and what，if anything，would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

文勇五问：

（1）本题中，事实是什么？结论是什么？“We already have a code of ethics that companies doing business with this department are urged to abide by，and virtually all of these companies have agreed to follow it.We also know that the code is relevant to the current business environment because it was approved within the last year，and in direct response to speci？c violations committed by companies with which we were then working——not in abstract anticipation of potential violations，as so many such codes are.”是事实，“Neither stronger ethics regulations nor stronger enforcement mechanisms are necessary to ensure ethical behavior by companies doing business with this department.”是结论，值得反驳吗？注意，题干中提到了“this department”的概念，这是指什么？（这个问题的答案，需要回到excerpt上方的简介部分才能知道）“this department”所指的应该是“a governmental department”。很多同学在做argument的时候，不愿意花时间阅读短小的简介部分，有些地方读的时候很模糊，最终是要吃亏的。

（2）几乎所有（virtually all of these）的企业答应遵守道德规范就一定代表所有的企业都如此吗？这里是否犯了大数谬误？

（3）企业答应遵守道德规范与实际遵守之间是否有距离？

（4）去年的商业环境和今年的商业环境一定是一模一样的吗？和将来的一定是一模一样的吗？是否犯了时间轴论证的错误？你能罗列一到两个可能出现变化的要素吗？例如：消费者的需求，国家的经济形势。

（5）去年合作企业犯过的错误，今年的合作企业一定可能再犯吗？以前合作企业没有犯过的错误，以后就不会出现吗？请大家想想看，法规存在的主要目的有什么？就是防微杜渐。

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