Logical Reasoning

PT125 · S2 · Q22 Student: The publications

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Student: The publications of Professor Vallejo on the origins of glassblowing have reopened the debate among historians over whether glassblowing originated in Egypt or elsewhere.

Premise

If Professor Vallejo is correct, there is insufficient evidence for claiming, as most historians have done for many years, that glassblowing began in Egypt.

Conclusion

If Professor Vallejo is correct, we must conclude that glassblowing originated elsewhere.

Evaluate

While the conclusion is similar to the evidence, there is a difference between insufficient evidence to prove a claim and evidence that the claim is false.

22.

Which one of the following is an error in the student's reasoning?

  1. It draws a conclusion that

    Not a Flaw

    Conflicting with the opinion of experts is not flawed reasoning.

    3% picked this

  2. It presupposes the truth of

    Bad Description

    The author never assumes that Professor V's claims are correct/true. She keeps holding them at a hypothetical/conditional distance, saying, "IF his claims are correct, then blah blah blah". But at no point does the author assume the claims are correct. (As a broader takeaway, whenever we're dealing with conditional conclusions such as this one, the author is never assuming that the trigger is true. We can't strengthen the argument by making it seem like the trigger is true nor can we weaken the argument by making it seem like the trigger is false. With conditional conclusions, you just play along with the hypothetical truth of the trigger, and evaluate whether the outcome would really follow within that hypothetical world.)

    14% picked this

  3. It fails to provide criteria

    Not a Flaw

    The argument does not need to provide criteria for determining adequate historical evidence.

    3% picked this

  4. It mistakes the majority view

    Not a Flaw

    In this argument the traditional view is the view held by a majority of historians.

    2% picked this

  5. Correct

    It confuses inadequate evidence for

    Why this is right

    This describes the switch between the evidence and the conclusion.

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

    78% picked this

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