October 2004 LSAT Section 4 Question 7

Since empathy is essential for people to be willing to follow moral codes that sometimes require them to ignore their...

llowe on March 31, 2020

A vs C

I'm having a hard time figuring out the gap in the argument so I don't see the difference between A and C... The conclusion is CSE -> E right? So then we are looking for something that allows us to conclude E is necessary? Or are we trying to fill the gap that they didn't really supply us with the definition of empathy? Thanks!

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SamA on April 4, 2020

Hello @llowe,

You are correct about the conclusion. CSE ---> E

But, what is this conclusion based on? The only premise is that empathy is necessary for people to willingly follow these moral codes.

FMC ---> E

The first thing you said is correct, we are trying to conclude that empathy is necessary. We aren't worried about the definition.

There is a gap in this argument, and it is between civilized society and these moral codes. This is a common trick that the test makers pull. They will imply that two things are related, without explicitly saying so. This is the assumption, as provided by answer choice A.

CS ---> FMC ---> E

C is incorrect because it treats following these moral codes as a sufficient condition, rather than a necessary one for a civilized society.