Logical Reasoning

PT149 · S3 · Q15 There is a popular view among literary critics

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There is a popular view among literary critics that a poem can never be accurately paraphrased because a poem is itself the only accurate expression of its meaning.

Conclusion

The view that poetry cannot be accurately paraphrased is false. (i.e. poetry can be accurately paraphrased)

Evidence

The critics say a poem can't be paraphrased because a poem itself is the only accurate expression of its meaning.

But these critics think that their own paraphrases of poems are accurate.

Evaluate

It's hard to argue with the idea that the critics are wrong about something, given that they're saying "no poem can be accurately paraphrased" as well as "our paraphrases are accurate".

They are definitely contradicting themselves. But the author's conclusion didn't say, "Thus these critics are contradicting themselves". It says their view about whether poetry can be accurately paraphrased is wrong.

The author didn't present any evidence for or against the idea that poetry can be accurately paraphrased. She told us that these critics consider their own paraphrases accurate, but we wouldn't accept their opinions as proof that their paraphrases are accurate.

Goal

This feels kind of like an Unproven vs. Proven False move. The author found a problem with someone's argument (in this case: their other beliefs contradict their conclusion).

His conclusion should be like,

Given a contradiction, "poems can never be accurately paraphrased" + "our own paraphrases are accurate", we know they can't both be right, but we don't know which one is correct.

The author is arbitrarily choosing one of those two options.

15.

The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to the criticism that the argument

  1. presupposes the falsity of the

    Wrong Flaw

    This describes (a weird objection-version of) the famous Circular Reasoning flaw, in which the author presumes the truth of her conclusion. Saying the author assumes the truth of her conclusion is kind of like saying the premise was the same as the conclusion. But this argument had a premise that was distinct from its conclusion — the premise is the fact that these critics seem to contradict themselves by thinking their own paraphrases are accurate.

    22% picked this

  2. takes for granted that the

    Too Strong: main purpose

    The author hasn't assumed (taken for granted) anything about what is or isn't the main purpose of poems. The argument is simply about whether poems can or can't be accurately paraphrased.

    3% picked this

  3. takes for granted that a

    Too Strong: cannot be useful unless

    The author hasn't assumed (taken for granted) anything about when poems can or can't be useful. The argument is simply about whether poems can or can't be accurately paraphrased.

    19% picked this

  4. Correct

    provides no justification for favoring

    Why this is right

    The critics have two contradictory beliefs 1. poems can never be accurately paraphrased 2. some of our paraphrases are accurate The author concludes that #1 is wrong, but why couldn't it be that #2 is wrong instead?

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

    40% picked this

  5. provides no justification for following

    Same Definition

    The argument never switches what is means by "paraphrase". It seems to be used consistently throughout.

    16% picked this

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