Logical Reasoning

PT136 · S4 · Q24 No one who works at Leila's

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No one who works at Leila's Electronics has received both a poor performance evaluation and a raise.

Evidence

No one at LE has gotten ~bad evaluation both a bad performance work at LE → or evaluation and a raise. ~raise

Lester hasn't gotten a raise. L = ~raise.

Conclusion

Lester's had a bad L = bad evaluation performance evaluation

Evaluate

The flaw in this argument, in technical terms, is that "or" is inclusive. When we say, X → Y or Z, that means that if X is true, then at least one of Y and Z is true (could be both).

Our author is interpreting "or" in exclusive terms, that you either are Y or Z, but not both.

In conversational terms, the flaw in this argument is that our author fails to consider that when we say "no one has both Y and Z", that means . She is forgetting that last option, that you might lack both.

Since Lester lacks "raise" she thinks he must have "bad evaluation", but it's possible he's had neither a raise nor a bad evaluation.

Consider how silly this would sound with a more familiar context: Nobody orders a large soda and a large milkshake. Since Denise didn't order a large soda, she must have ordered a large milkshake. (Why? couldn't she have ordered neither of those things?)

Goal

Look for a flaw that is vulnerable to the objection of "couldn't both things not be the case?", or look to match this structure: X → ~Y or ~Z X is ~Y. Thus, X is Z.

24.

The flawed reasoning in the argument above is most similar to the reasoning in which one of the following arguments?

  1. No one who lives in

    Valid Logic

    Since you can't own it and pay rent, it's valid logic to say that anyone who pays rent doesn't own it.

    14% picked this

  2. No one who lives in

    Valid Logic

    Since you can't own it and pay rent, it's valid logic to say that anyone who owns their house doesn't pay rent on it.

    8% picked this

  3. My neighbors have not paid

    Bad Premise Match Bad Validity Match

    We don't have a "you can't be both premise", so there's no way to replicate the "hey, it's possible that they're neither" objection. This is closer to being valid logic. The conditional says, "if live there and don't rent -> own it" We establish that the neighbors don't rent. It's pretty safe to assume they live there (otherwise they wouldn't be "neighbors"), so the conclusion would follow that they must own it.

    9% picked this

  4. Correct

    My next-door neighbors do not

    Why this is right

    Live in house → ~Own or ~Rent. X → ~Y or ~Z My neighbors don't own. This X is ~Y. Thus, my neighbors must rent. This X is Z. This is vulnerable to the same objection as the original: "Just because no one is both doesn't mean that everyone is exactly one of them. It's possible that someone is neither of them." Maybe the neighbors are living rent-free in someone else's house.

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

    62% picked this

  5. Anyone who lives in a

    Basically Valid Logic

    This doesn't have a "you can't be both" type premise, so we can stop reading at that point. The logic here is essentially valid, as long as we permit the idea that "my neighbors don't own their house" implies that "my neighbors do live in their house". Live in house and ~Own → Pay Rent. Neighbors (live in and) ~Own their house. Thus, Neighbors Pay Rent on their house.

    6% picked this

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