Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Hard

PT1 S3 Q22 Explanation

The 1980s have been characterized

A free, expert breakdown of this official LSAT Logical Reasoning question.

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Stimulus

The 1980s have been characterized as a period of selfish individualism that threatens the cohesion of society. But this characterization is true of any time. Throughout history all human actions have been motivated by selfishness. When the deeper implications are considered, even instances of selfish concern for the human species.

What this question is testing

Flaw

Conclusion

The author wants to push back against the idea that the 80s were uniquely selfish. The author claims: every era is just as selfish.

Evidence

All human actions, the author says, are motivated by selfishness — even kind acts are really "selfish concern for the human species."

Evaluate

Notice the slide. The 80s critique used "selfish" in the everyday sense — self-centered behavior that hurts community. The author rebuts that by saying everyone is selfish, but redefines "selfish" to mean caring about humanity as a whole. Those are very different ideas. Caring about your species is almost the opposite of self-centered behavior that threatens social cohesion.

It's like answering "you're being unfair" with The word stays the same, but the meaning shifts.

Goal

Find the answer that calls out this two-meaning slide.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question
22.

Which one of the following is a flaw in

Answer choices

  1. Bad Description29% picked this

    The claim that selfishness has been present throughout history is not actually relevant

    The historical-selfishness claim is in fact relevant — it's the author's main support for the conclusion. The flaw isn't that it's irrelevant; it's that the argument trades on two different meanings of "selfish." If the historical claim used "selfish" in the same sense as the 80s critique, it would be perfectly relevant evidence.

  2. Bad Description10% picked this

    No statistical evidence is provided to show that humans act selfishly more often than

    The argument doesn't rest on a frequency claim about how often humans act selfishly versus unselfishly. The author makes a universal claim — all actions are selfish (under the broadened definition). Statistics about frequency aren't the missing piece; the equivocation is. Asking for stats misses the actual flaw.

  3. Bad Description2% picked this

    The argument assumes that selfishness is unique to the

    The argument does the opposite — it explicitly says selfishness exists throughout history, not just in the present. The author is denying uniqueness, not assuming it. This answer mischaracterizes what the argument does.

  4. Bad Objection1% picked this

    The argument mentions only humans and does not consider the behavior

    The argument is about whether the 80s are uniquely selfish among human eras. Other species don't enter the picture. Mentioning that the argument doesn't cover other species raises an objection that wouldn't actually weaken the human-era claim. It's a non-issue.

  5. Correct58% picked this

    The argument relies on two different uses of the

    Why this is right

    This nails the flaw. "Selfish" in the 80s characterization means self-centered individualism that threatens social cohesion. "Selfish" in the author's historical claim has been redefined as "selfish concern for the human species" — concern for humanity as a whole. Those are two very different senses of the word, and the argument trades on the slide. The premise about all human actions being "selfish" only supports the conclusion if both uses match — and they don't.

    Skill tested: Flaw · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

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