Example 8: Please help with the Last sentence: "but only because"
Hello,
The last statement of the eighth example uses the phrase "but only because." What does "but only because" introduce, the sufficient, a cause,...? Or is it equivalent to "if but only if" in that it introduces both the necessary and the sufficient?
"Human beings in certain situations react to unpleasant stimuli with violence - but only because they are conditioned by their culture to react in this manner."
Is it safe to interpret the statement as follows: If human beings are conditioned by their culture to react in a violent manner to unpleasant stimuli, then they will react accordingly in these situations?
Or is this a cause and effect statement that precludes me from diagramming it or phrasing it in a sufficient-necessary format, such that the sufficient is the culture which conditioned human being to react violently to certain unpleasant stimuli, and the necessary is the human being reacting as they were conditioned by their culture to do so?
Please help!
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Let’s take a quick minute to recap the right answer here, answer choice B. Answer choice B says: The self expression REQUIRED for survival is generally nonaggressive.
The line we can trace this back to in the stimulus is the first one, “Violence is an extreme form of aggression, and is distinct from the self-expression that is SUFFICIENT for survival under normal conditions.
We don’t actually know anything about what’s required, the line only tells us what’s sufficient. Those are two different benchmarks, so we can’t conclude one from the other!
In regards to your more specific question, I would diagram it like this:
If a human being in certain situations reacts to unpleasant stimuli with violence, then it is because they are conditioned by their culture to react in this manner.
“Only†introduces a necessary condition. Agreed that it looks a little awkward with the added “but only because†element!
Hope this helps. Feel free to follow up if you have anymore questions!
Mazenon March 17, 2020
So, "but only because" is treated the same as "only," or, "only when," in that it introduces the necessary condition. I had it reversed! Thank you Andrea.
Ravion March 17, 2020
@Mazen, that is correct. Let us know if you have any other questions!
Ashley123on December 1, 2021
@Andrea and @Ravi, I thought that this sentence would be written as: violence to unpleasant stimuli-->conditioned by their culture. So wouldn't that go against answer choice E (Violent behavior is a product of one's cultural environment) because it would be written as:
culture-->violent behavior? I thought if something was the product of something else then it was the necessary condition because the sufficient condition guarantees/ results in it happening. Please let me know if I have this backwards and should be writing it as the sufficient condition. Thank you!
kenson January 15, 2022
@Andrea
I also have the same question as to why E would be correct if only because introduces a necessary. Isn't answer choice E a mistaken reversal? Thanks in advance.
Abigailon January 24, 2022
Hello @kens,
I'll take this one! (Andrea no longer works with us). Only introduces a necessary condition. However, we can also read that last sentence "only because they are" as a causal indicator (Because can indicate a causal relationship). Therefore, it is valid to deduce that :Violent behavior is a product of one's cultural environment" since "is a product of" can also indicate a causal relationship. Another way to think about it is that answer choice E is not saying that violent behavior is ALWAYS or ONLY the product of a cultural environment, just that in a certain case it is produced by the cultural environment, which is directly supported by the last sentence of the passage.
I hope this clarifies that. Don't hesitate to follow-up if you are still confused.
