Logical Reasoning

PT133 · S1 · Q18 Principle: Even if an art auction

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Principle: Even if an art auction house identifies the descriptions in its catalog as opinions, it is guilty of misrepresentation if such a description is a deliberate attempt to mislead bidders.

Principle

If a description (cited as opinion or not) → misrepresentation deliberately tries to mislead bidders

Application

Healy's committed misrepresentation when it described a vase as dating from the mid 18th (when it's really a modern reproduction).

Evaluation

Did we trigger the criteria that "the description deliberately tries to mislead bidders"?

No, not yet. We know the description is misleading (i.e. wrong), but we haven't yet established intent.

Goal

We need to know that Healy's intentionally wrote that description to mislead.

18.

Which one of the following, if true, most justifies the above application of the principle?

  1. An authentic work of art

    Doesn't Establish Intent

    This definitely establishes a motive to mislead (since Healy's could sell an 18th century vase for more than a modern copy), but we still don't know if this description was an honest mistake or a deliberate distortion.

    11% picked this

  2. Although pottery that is similar

    Doesn't Establish Intent

    This has nothing to do with whether Healy's intentionally wrote the wrong description.

    1% picked this

  3. The stated policy of Healy's

    Doesn't Establish Intent

    We would now know that this description (by naming age information) goes against Healy's stated policies, but we still don't know if it was intended to mislead.

    2% picked this

  4. Some Healy's staff members believe

    Doesn't Establish Intent

    This doesn't give us anything that sounds like "the people who wrote the description intentionally wanted to mislead".

    1% picked this

  5. Correct

    Without consulting anyone with expertise

    Why this is right

    While far from perfect, this answer does more than any other to establish an intent to mislead: "Healy's didn't consult any experts; they instead just described the vase as 18th century in order to increase its auction price". We needed to establish that this description was done with the intent of misleading bidders. in order to = intent increase its auction price = affect bidders

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

    85% picked this

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