Logical Reasoning

PT103 · S3 · Q9 Scientific and technological discoveries

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Scientific and technological discoveries have considerable effects on the development of any society.

Conclusion (it follows that)

Predicting the future is particularly untrustworthy, when you're dealing with societies where science and tech discoveries are particularly frequent.

Evidence

Science and tech discoveries have considerable effects on society.

Evaluate

The argument is assuming that, Predicting the future is particularly untrustworthy, when you're dealing with societies where considerable effects happen frequently.

Since science and tech discoveries is an overlapping idea in both the Premise and the Conclusion, we'd anticipate a Linking assumption bringing together the other two concepts.

In other words, if we have a premise saying "x = y" and a conclusion saying "x = z", then we'll anticipate a Linking assumption bringing together "y and z".

How would one object to this argument?

GIVEN THAT ... Sci & Tech discoveries have considerable effects on society

HOW COULD WE ARGUE THAT ... frequent Sci & Tech discoveries do not make it particularly hard to predict the future condition of societies?

We could probably say, .

Goal

Look for an answer linking "particularly untrustworthy predictions" to "frequent considerable effects", or look for an answer ruling out our objection, like .

9.

The argument depends on assuming which one of the following?

  1. Predictions of scientific and technological

    Out of Scope: harmful consequences

    The author only talked about it being hard to make predictions because of "considerable effects". There's nothing here about whether those effects are good or bad.

    8% picked this

  2. The development of a society

    Too Strong

    The author never suggested societies require anything. The author just happens to be saying something about societies that would have frequent sci & tech discoveries. If I say "football players who have braids must find their helmets extra uncomfortable", I am not assuming "playing football requires having braids".

    5% picked this

  3. Correct

    Forecasts of scientific and technological

    Why this is right

    Whenever we're doing Necessary Assumption, we get very enticed by answers ruling out an idea with "not / no" type language. These are the answers for which it's most important to negate it, and see if it turns into an Objection. Does this negation sound like an Objection? Predictions of sci & tech discoveries and predictions of their effects are entirely reliable. Heck yeah it does! The author was saying these societies with lots of sci & tech discoveries would be extra hard to make predictions about. We're countering that strongly with, "Not so, good chap. Predictions about sci & tech discoveries and their considerable effects are entirely reliable!" This is basically the Defender assumption we predicted, ruling out our objection that maybe it's not too hard to predict the considerable effects of these discoveries.

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

    80% picked this

  4. An advanced scientific and technological

    Out of Scope: benefit

    This is just like (A). The author only talked about it being hard to make predictions because of "considerable effects". There's nothing here about whether those effects are good or bad.

    2% picked this

  5. It is not as difficult

    Out of Scope

    Out of Scope: advanced vs. less advanced The argument never talked about how advanced a society was or wasn't. It was only about whether or not it had frequent sci & tech discoveries. We don't know whether more advanced or less advanced societies are more likely to have frequent discoveries. Maybe the more advanced a society gets, the less there is left to discover, so the rate of discoveries slows down. Maybe the more advanced a society gets, the better technology they have, which allows the rate of discoveries to speed up.

    4% picked this

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