Vague laws set vague limits

Answer choices

1. A

   Correct66% picked this

   People can feel secure only if they know for certain whether their

   Why this is right

   The word "only if" always indicates the necessary idea that goes on the right of the arrow, so this answer looks like this: can feel secure → know for sure whether actions are legal We're trying to prove "cannot feel secure", so this rule looks useful! If we contrapose (as we usually do for our correct answer), we'll have that on the right side of the arrow, where the Conclusion language belongs. don't know for sure → cannot feel whether actions are legal secure We know that under vague laws, it's impossible to know for certain whether one's actions are legal. According to this rule, then, under vague laws one cannot feel secure. We've proven the conclusion!

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

   66%
2. B

   Too Weak11% picked this

   If people do not know for certain whether their actions are legal, then they might

   We need an answer that provides a rule that can prove "cannot feel secure", so it should have that language on the right of the arrow. This answer is putting "might not feel secure" on the right of the arrow, which isn't strong enough to logically guarantee "cannot feel secure". Weak language like "some / might / can / not all" is almost always wrong on Sufficient Assumption, Strengthen, Weaken, and Paradox.

   11%
3. C

   Illegal Negation12% picked this

   If people know for certain whether their actions are legal, they

   We need an answer that provides a rule that can prove "cannot feel secure", so it should have that language on the right of the arrow. This answer is putting "can feel secure" on the right of the arrow, so it will be worthless to us. This answer is the typical illegal Reversal / Negation trap answer we always see on Sufficient Assumption. We'd love to have a rule that says, "If people don't know whether their actions are legal, then they can't feel secure". This answer is an illegal negation of that.

   12%
4. D

   Illegal Negation8% picked this

   People can feel secure if they are governed by laws that

   We need an answer that provides a rule that can prove "cannot feel secure", so it should have that language on the right of the arrow. This answer is putting "can feel secure" on the right of the arrow, so it will be worthless to us. The word "if" always indicates the sufficient condition that goes on the left of the arrow, so this looks like this: Governed by laws → Can feel secure that are not vague This answer is just an Illegal Negation of the conclusion, which says this: Governed by laws → Cannot feel secure that are vague

   8%
5. E

   Illegal Negation3% picked this

   Only people who feel secure can know for certain whether their

   We need an answer that provides a rule that can prove "cannot feel secure", so it should have that language on the right of the arrow. This answer is putting "can feel secure" on the right of the arrow, so it will be worthless to us. The word "only / only if" always indicates the necessary condition that goes on the right of the arrow ("the only" indicates a sufficient condition that goes on the left). So this answer looks exactly like (C): Know whether → Can feel secure actions are legal This answer is an Illegal Negation of what our correct answer looks like: don't know whether → Cannot feel actions are legal secure

   3%