Quantifiers Questions - - Question 5

Linda says that, as a scientist, she knows that no scientist appreciates poetry. And, since most scientists are logic...

jbenav246@gmail.com January 20, 2021

Handling Most statements

Why did she change the second premise "S most L" into a some statement? I understand how she did it, but I do not understand why she did it in the first place when it seemed perfectly fine to me to just take the first premise and second together without it. For example, why could it not have been: S --> ~AP S most L to conclude: L most ~ AP ?? Please correct my understanding of quantifying rules: 1) I thought that when I combine a S/N statement with a most statement, that I DO NOT have to change the final statement into a some statement (which is what I think the instructor did).. but rather that I can leave it as a most statement 2) If I want to, I CAN change most statements into some statements. I know I am REQUIRED to if I try using the exception rule with 2 most statements, but am I also able to with a singular most statement for the sake of it?

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shunhe January 30, 2021

Hi @jbenav246@gmail.com,

Thanks for the question! So remember we have ?
S most L

And we want to conclude with L on the left side. To reverse a most statement, we have to make it a some statement. And so that’s why the most is changed into a some; we want to reverse the statement. After all, “most chairs are made of wood” does not mean “most things that are made of wood are chairs.”

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