Logical Reasoning

PT141 · S4 · Q23 Problem: If Shayna congratulates

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Problem: If Shayna congratulates Daniel on his award, she will misrepresent her true feelings.

Principle

don't believe person should never be you're speaking to → insincere (should prefers kindness always be sincere) to honesty

Problem

S congratulates → she'll be insincere S not congratulate → hurt D's feelings

Evaluate

Since the question stem wants us to justify a conclusion using the principle, we'd have to be justifying the conclusion that "Shayna shouldn't be insincere". You can only prove/conclude what's on the right side of the Principle, so we can only use this principle to justify a conclusion that sounds like, "Thus, Shayna shouldn't be insincere" / "Shayna should be sincere" / "Shayna shouldn't congratulate Daniel" (since congratulating would be insincere)

"Except possibly" works like Unless / Without / Until. It's an "if-not" trigger.

When we say , we're definitely not guaranteeing Todd that Melanie would agree to a date even if it were a Cardi B show. We're saying he has a chance (possibly) in that scenario, whereas he has no chance in any other scenario. This is the only possible exceptional case. Thus the way to get certainty with "except possibly / unless / without / until" is to say, .

Goal

Since we want to apply this principle to this problem, we want to 1. establish that Shayna doesn't believe that Daniel prefers kindness to honesty and then 2. conclude that Shayna shouldn't be insincere (i.e. that she shouldn't congratulate him on his award)

23.

The principle, if valid, most helps to justify the reasoning in which one of the following arguments concerning the problem?

  1. If Shayna congratulates Daniel, she

    Bad Conclusion Match

    This argument is saying that she should congratulate, which means she should be insincere. This principle has no power to prove should be insincere, only shouldn't be insincere (since you can only prove the idea on the right side of the principle).

    10% picked this

  2. Daniel might prefer for Shayna

    Bad Outcome Match / Bad Trigger Match

    This argument is saying that she would be doing nothing wrong by congratulating, but this principle only has the power to prove that Shayna would be doing something wrong by congratulating, since we can only conclude the right side of the principle. Additionally, this doesn't establish that Shanya believes that Daniel prefers kindness to honesty; it just informs us that Daniel might prefer kindness to honesty in this situation. The rule is based on a belief about another person's preference, not about their actual preference.

    45% picked this

  3. Shayna believes that kindness should

    Bad Premise/Conclusion Match

    We don't care whether Shayna prefers kindness to honesty. The principle cares about whether she believes the person with whom she's speaking (Daniel) prefers kindness to honesty. And the conclusion is saying "she should not tell her true feelings", which is drifting towards "she should lie / be insincere". Our principle only allows us to conclude that you shouldn't be insincere, that you should tell your true feelings.

    8% picked this

  4. Daniel's feelings would be hurt

    Bad Premise Match

    This does conclude what the principle has the power to prove: don't be insincere, so don't congratulate him. But the basis for this conclusion doesn't match the trigger of the principle -- it says nothing about whether Shayna believes that Daniel prefers kindness to honesty.

    8% picked this

  5. Correct

    Shayna has no opinion about

    Why this is right

    This establishes the trigger of the principle: - it is not the case that Shayna believes Daniel prefers kindness to honesty (she has no opinion on the matter) And it concludes the outcome of the principle: - she should not be insincere; thus, she shouldn't congratulate Daniel.

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

    29% picked this

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