Sonya: Anyone who lives without

Answer choices

1. A

   Too Strong: "anyone" "will"8% picked this

   Anyone who places a higher priority on maintaining a positive emotional outlook than on dispelling illusion will be completely unaware of the

   This is pretty tempting, because it’s saying if you’d rather be clouded with illusion than emotionally tainted, you’ll choose the option of being not aware. The problem is that we have no idea if that’s even a choice people get to make. Once you’re aware of life’s fragility, can you just decide to go back to being unaware? Also, if we allowed that you do have a choice to be aware / not aware, then maybe there are other consequences of being aware / not aware that would sway our decision differently from what this answer choice mandates.

   8%
2. B

   Too Strong11% picked this

   Either no one has a tainted emotional outlook on existence, or no one has a

   Too Strong: “either no one is X or no one is Y” We have no support for this idea that one of these categories has to be 0% of humans. All humans have to fall into one or the other of these two categories, but the split could be any sort of ratio. It could be that 60% of humans are unaware (clouded with illusion) and 40% of humans are aware (emotionally tainted).

   11%
3. C

   Too Strong13% picked this

   It is impossible for anyone to live without some degree

   Too Strong: “impossible” / Out Of Scope: “self-deception” This feels close to our prephrase that “it’s impossible for anyone to not get some bad news”. But is it fair to say that there is self-deception in each case? If the mind is clouded with illusion, is that self-deception? A mind clouded with illusion could be clouded by an external force, not self-deceiving. The easier mismatch though is the second one. Is it fair to say that people with an emotionally tainted outlook are engaged in self-deception? No. The statements actually seem to be saying that these people are completely in touch with reality, and thus they suffer the emotional weight of reality.

   13%
4. D

   Correct65% picked this

   Everyone whose emotional outlook on existence is untainted has a mind

   Why this is right

   Since everyone has to fall into at least one of these categories, it’s fair to say “If you’re not clouded with illusion, then you must be emotionally tainted” and vice versa. (Note: someone could have both traits, because even if I’m aware and thus emotionally tainted, something else might trigger me to be clouded with illusion)

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

   65%
5. E

   Out Of Scope: “better”3% picked this

   It is better to be aware of the fragility and precariousness of human life than to have an

   Nothing in these facts is evaluative. We have no way to rank which of these two fates is better.

   3%