Logical Reasoning

PT146 · S2 · Q25 Substantial economic growth

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Substantial economic growth must be preceded by technological innovations that expanding industries incorporate into their production or distribution procedures.

Conclusion

A global ban on fossil fuels would be followed by an economic boom, not an economic depression.

Evidence

Economic booms ---require--> tech innovations.

A global ban on fossil fuels would produce tech innovations.

Evaluate

This looks like the #1 recurring flaw: Necessary vs. Sufficient.

We're provided with a conditional rule: X must be preceded by Y. We're told that Thing A would provide Y. And then we illegally reason backwards that Thing A would provide X.

Goal

Look for an answer saying, , or look for an answer pointing out that there may be other things required of an economic boom that wouldn't be present if we were to have a global ban on fossil fuels.

Also, we could talk about other ramifications of a global ban on fossil fuels that would more likely lead towards depression than growth.

25.

Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the argument's reasoning?

  1. The argument assumes the truth

    Wrong Flaw

    This answer choice describes Circular Reasoning, in which the author doesn't really offer any premise; she just believes what she believes. But this argument definitely had two premises that are distinct from the conclusion.

    7% picked this

  2. The argument attempts to establish

    Wrong Flaw

    This answer choice basically sounds like Unproven vs. Proven False, in which we say "Since your argument for X was crappy, that proves that X is false." There's nothing in this paragraph that matches up with criticizing the reasoning of those who assert its truth. LSAT literally put that "critics of the ban" filler into the conclusion just to have room to create a trap answer like this.

    1% picked this

  3. The argument attempts to establish

    Never a Flaw

    Haha. I don't think I've ever seen this answer (it would never be correct). There's nothing wrong with one's evidence being too good. "I think we have to acquit Johnny. You've done too thorough a job at proving he's the killer." - said no judge, ever

    3% picked this

  4. Correct

    The argument confuses a necessary

    Why this is right

    Tech innovations were identified as necessary for the phenomenon of economic boom to occur, and the author is acting like as long as we know that a global ban on fuel would lead to tech innovations, we know that it would lead to an economic boom. Any time you see the famous Necessary vs. Sufficient answer choice, just ask yourself, "Was there conditional logic in this argument?" If not, eliminate right away. If so, check to see whether the author is making an illegal backwards or opposite move with a conditional relationship. The keywords in this argument that gave us a conditional were "X must be preceded by Y".

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

    71% picked this

  5. The argument presumes, without providing

    Bad Premise Match

    If an answer says, "The argument presumes that because X, Y", then we need to match X with the premise and Y with the conclusion/assumption. Do we have certain conditions that only sometimes precede a certain phenomenon? No. We have "tech innovations" as a condition that must (i.e. always) precede substantial economic growth. So we can stop reading there.

    17% picked this

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