All too many weaklings are also cowards, and few cowards fail to be fools. Thus there must be at least one person wh...
colleen_April 24, 2020
Trouble figuring out flaw
I was able to diagram the stimulus correctly and see it was flawed, but was not able to figure out exactly what the flaw was. Once I watched the video and saw what the flaw was I was able to choose the correct answer. Any tips on how to find the type of flaw in an argument?
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First, I would consult the error in reasoning lesson to become familiar with the most common errors. Mehran goes over twelve examples in the video, and there is a document with even more details under the video.
Second, you must be very comfortable with the rules of quantifiers and sufficient/necessary. If a flawed argument contains multiple sufficient and necessary conditions, then you should probably focus on those statements to find the error. It will most likely be some misunderstanding of conditionality, like reversing sufficient and necessary conditions.
In this particular example, you should be able to expect that the error is some misuse of quantifiers. Diagram it if you have to, and ask yourself why the conclusion does not follow from the premises.
