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"The Data Reported are Correct"

Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 1:50 pm
by ConsideringLawSchool
When this answer appears as a choice for a "necessary assumption" or "conclusion is properly drawn if...", is it always the right one? Of course, any conclusion based on a research study depends on the data being correct, but it seems a rather weak answer.

Take, for example, PT 36 - first LR section - Number 18. Here, the argument even states "if the sata reported in the recent study are correct." Thus, how can D be a sufficient answer?

Re: "The Data Reported are Correct"

Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 3:35 pm
by tomwatts
As I recall (not looking at the arg right now), that argument gives you a whole set of conditionals but never actually tells you any definite information.

I could say, "If the world were totally different, people would walk around on their hands instead of on their feet. Thus, people walk around on their hands." And to make that logically valid, you'd still need me to say, "The world is totally different."

I guess what I'm getting at is, the basic structure of a logically valid argument is "If A then B. A. Therefore B." That arugment gives you the first and third parts, but not the second.