Evidently you still fail to understand. Put it all together.
Not sure you understood the point. The benevolence tax was not applied to all citizens, only the wealthiest. As such, it wasn’t levied against the poor.
Pay particular attention to the words in bold.
Yes, I understand the benevolence tax was imposed on the rich by the monarch. It’s like an extortion racket the mafia are known for: “We’re worried about your business. Fires can start unexpectedly …”
You’re giving me a historical fact, perhaps embellished. I don’t know.
Morton’s fork is a dilemma, as Morton had an economic goal in mind. It’s conclusion is that poor/rich, taxes will be collected.
Once again:
The benevolence tax was not applied to all citizens, only the wealthiest. As such, it wasn’t levied against the poor.
“As Lord Chancellor to His Majesty King Henry VII, my mandate is simple: fill the Crown’s coffers, and let no tax-evader escape my logic.
If I observe a subject living in lavish luxury, spending grandly on fine food and apparel, the conclusion is self-evident—he possesses wealth in abundance and can easily afford a generous contribution to the King.
If, however, a subject lives frugally, hiding away in modest dress and simple habits, it is equally clear he must be saving a great fortune in secret—and therefore can afford just as generous a contribution.
Prudent or prodigal, it matters not. Either prong catches the fish.” ~ Cardinal John Morton
The benevolence tax was not levied against all citizens, only the wealthiest.
As such, the “tax evaders” Morton was referring to were the wealthy who cried poor. He wasn’t referring to those who were actually poor.
Have you failed to consider that England at that time was organized into a rigid social hierarchy divided into distinct classes? Those from the lower classes would not have been subject to the benevolence tax.
Got it!
I did err in not reading the wiki article properly or the page was edited after I’d last read it, 3 - 4 years ago. The real story could be far more interesting if the snapshot we have gives any indication.
However it’s still a dilemma, for rich folk. Whether they’re the lavish type or the frugal type they have to cough up the money.
Dilemma doesn’t really seem to fit.
I view it simply as a wry way of saying we know you have wealth regardless of the cover you put on the book. Just fork it over. Pun intended.
This is the problem
Is this paradox unsolvable?
@BestGuessYet What do you think? Does Morton make a good argument or no?
I’ll explain the problem for convenience. Morton wants the rich to pay taxes. The rich are luxuriously clothed or are “modest or dressed in simple habits”. Whatever is the case they have to pay taxes. It’s similar to the question you pose in your thread, on the value of doubt.
You’re saying I need to read a Wiki article called Morton’s Fork?
I can do that when I get a minute.
I made it more convenient by sketching the argument 
What do you think?
@BestGuessYet I take the lack of response to mean unsolvable.
I think that if you want me to answer a question, you must first ask me a question.
What is the question?
Yes.
A statement cannot be solved.
There must be a question–as in the question I posted.
Anyway, the answer is Kentucky.
Prove me wrong.
The question? I thought it was clear. Many have given answers, good ones.
Is Morton’s fork good? I guess that’s the question. A poster has critiqued the fork by the mentioning the premise of 2 contradictory propositions is flawed. Isn’t this exactly like your question?
You summarized it for me as this:
I’ll explain the problem for convenience. Morton wants the rich to pay taxes. The rich are luxuriously clothed or are “modest or dressed in simple habits”. Whatever is the case they have to pay taxes. It’s similar to the question you pose in your thread, on the value of doubt.
Now you ask me if a fork is good.
What fork? What is the question?
No, I see no similarity between this and the question I asked. This is a statement about Morton wanting the rich to pay taxes. My question had a question mark and asked a very specific question.
So, yeah, I’m lost. I can’t find the question mark.
Are you asking me if the rich should pay different taxes depending on how they’re dressed? Or something?
Yes, and that has seemed odd to me.
Because I have seen no question to be answered.
A good fork is good reasoning. Is the reasoning good? The premise is based on the way a person lives - luxuriously or frugally - and the conclusion is one has to pay taxes.
Well, I haven’t seen the reasoning, and you apparently will not tell me what it is.
I suppose I will have to read the Wiki article.
From what you’ve given me so far, though, I would say that the living style of the rich has little or nothing to do with how they will be taxed.
Just my opinion, of course.