October 2015 LSAT Section 1 Question 23

In saying that Popper gives a certain idea "hyperbolic application" (line 7), the author of passage A means to sugges...

kearann on August 18, 2020

A vs. D

I understand why the answer is D, but I am still not sure I understand why A could not work as well. If Popper's use of the logical asymmetry doesn't adequately capture the actual situation scientists face, could this not be explained through answer A?

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shunhe on August 19, 2020

Hi @kearann,

Thanks for the question! So we’re trying to figure out what the author of passage A means by “hyperbolic application.” Going back and reading this, the hyperbolic application is that positive evidence has no value as evidence and that negative evidence is tantamount to disproof. So this lines up with (D). But does it also line up with (A), the idea that Popper extends the ideas to cases in which it doesn’t apply? That’s not really what’s being said, that Popper applies it to too many cases. What’s being said is that negative evidence isn’t always conclusive, not that it’s irrelevant to the case. So it’s that the conclusion is too radical in the cases it’s applied to, but not that it’s applied to the wrong kinds of cases.

Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any other questions that you might have.