PT150 S2 Q20 ExplanationA philosophical paradox

Answer choices, explained

1. A

   Correct72% picked this

   Solving a philosophical paradox requires accepting something that intuitively seems to

   Why this is right

   We know that solving a philosophical paradox requires one of three things. Is each of those things something we would find intuitively incorrect? 1. the conclusion is true yes, it said "your intuitions tell you that the conclusion is false" 2 / 3. a premise is false / the logic is unsound yes, "Your intuitions tell you ..... that its conclusion follows logically from true premises" That second sentence covered all three options we have for resolving one of these paradoxes. All three of our resolution options are the opposite of something we intuitively believe. Thus, all three of our resolution options are things that seem to us intuitively to be incorrect.

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

   72%
2. B

   Ignores 3rd Option13% picked this

   The conclusion of a philosophical paradox cannot be false if all the paradox's

   There's an option where the premises are all true, but the conclusion does not follow logically from its premises. For example, Applesauce is better than nothing. (true) Nothing is better than holding your new kid. (true) So, applesauce is better than holding your new kid. The premises are all true, but the logic sucks (it's an equivocation issue with two different meanings to "nothing", but they're being treated as equivalent). As we can see here, even if the premises are all true, we can end up with a false conclusion.

   13%
3. C

   Unknown Comparison: how many premises2% picked this

   Philosophical paradoxes with one or two premises are more baffling than those

   The statements never compare different paradoxes in terms of how many premises they have, and we aren't using "baffling" in a relative way that would let us rank one baffling philosophical paradox over another baffling philosophical paradox.

   2%
4. D

   Out of Scope: different approaches5% picked this

   Any two people who attempt to solve a philosophical paradox will probably use

   We never talked about how different people might behave, or how their approaches might differ, so we don't have the textual ammunition to derive this language.

   5%
5. E

   Ignores the Other Two Options7% picked this

   If it is not possible to accept that the conclusion of a particular philosophical paradox is true, then it is not

   The statements identify three possible ways to solve the paradox, one of which is to accept that the conclusion is true. But if it's not possible to accept that the conclusion is true, we still might solve the paradox one of the two other ways (find a premise that is false, or find a way to say that the logic of combining premises doesn't work to derive that conclusion).

   7%