Logical Reasoning

PT140 · S1 · Q7 Ethicist: Robert Gillette has argued

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Ethicist: Robert Gillette has argued that because a thorough knowledge of genetics would enable us to cure the over 3,000 inherited disorders that affect humanity, deciphering the human genetic code will certainly benefit humanity despite its enormous cost.

Conclusion (however)

Gillette's argument is not persuasive. (it's not clear that a thorough knowledge of genetics would certainly benefit humanity, just because it could cure diseases)

Evidence (because)

He fails to consider that such thorough knowledge of genetics might harm human beings more than it would benefit them.

Evaluate

Whenever we're doing a Main Conclusion question, we prime our brains before reading the paragraph with the prevailing tendencies on Main Conclusion questions:

Rather than put the Conclusion as the final claim, the conclusion on Main Conclusion questions is usually found earlier than the evidence. Typically, it's ... - the very first claim of the paragraph - it's rebutting some previous or external point of view that isn't the author's

In this paragraph we start with an external point of view, Gillette's.

Most of the time in LR and RC, after an author attributes a point of view to someone, she pivots away with a but / yet / however.

That pivot doesn't necessarily mean we're hearing a conclusion.

It could go: However, Conclusion. After all, Support.

But it could also go: However, Support. Thus, Conclusion

In this paragraph, the word because clearly indicates that the last idea is Support, so that makes "G's argument is not persuasive" our Conclusion.

F.A.B.S. = for, after all, because, since (the four Support indicators you should memorize)

Goal

Since this conclusion is using referential language, "Gillette's argument is not persuasive" we need to substitute-in the specific language being referred to.

7.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion of the ethicist's argument?

  1. Gillette's argument wrongly assumes that

    Wrong Objection / Unstated

    Our author is saying that Gillette's argument wrongly assumes that deciphering the genetic code, "will be a net benefit to humanity" / "will not lead to more harm than benefit"

    2% picked this

  2. Deciphering the genetic code might

    Premise Last Claim Trap

    This is the last claim of the paragraph, which was a premise. The last claim will sometimes be the correct answer on Main Conclusion but is inherently trappy. In this case, this final claim is prefaced by a Support word, "because", so it's easy to be sure that this is not the Main Conclusion.

    27% picked this

  3. Because of its possible negative

    Too Strong: should not be conducted

    The author's conclusion is, "Gillette has not convinced me that deciphering the genetic code will benefit humanity", not "we should do no genetic research".

    1% picked this

  4. Gillette's claim that a thorough

    Wrong Objection / Unstated

    The author is saying, "I accept that we'll be able to cure more disorders, but deep knowledge of our genetic code might lead to harm that outweighs that benefit." Her objection wasn't to Gillette's premise about curing disorders, it was to his conclusion that this will be a net benefit for humanity.

    2% picked this

  5. Correct

    Gillette's argument is unconvincing because

    Why this is right

    Yes, "Gillette's argument is unconvincing" is a perfect meaning match for "Gillette's argument is not persuasive". This answer is an anomaly among correct answers to Main Conclusion questions, because it contains both the conclusion and a summary of the evidence. Why would LSAC make this mistake? Not sure. But if our only objection to this answer is, "Hey, not fair, you have the Conclusion and the Premise", and our objection to every other answer is, "Hey, that's not the Conclusion", then this is our best available answer.

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

    68% picked this

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