The publisher of a best–selling self–help book had, in some promotional material, claimed that it showed readers how ...

AndrewArabie on April 6, 2023

I should amend the subject line and say "Why is D incorrect?"

Emil-Kunkin on April 6, 2023

Hi, we're looking to prove that the publisher did not act unethically. Let's see if, given the facts in the prompt, D would meet that bar.

D tells us that the only way to be unethical is if your claim might possibly be treated as true by someone. According to the passage, we don't really know if someone might have treated the claim as true, but my inclination would be to argue that it is possible that some (unreasonable) person might act as if the claim were true. Thus, according to D, it is possible that the publisher acted unethically, which is the opposite of what we want to prove.

Let's see if A meets the bar. A sets up a necessary condition for being unethical as well: a reasonable person would act as if the claim were true. I think that the second passage of the prompt shows that no reasonable person would believe the claim. This shows that the necessary condition for unethical is not present, so the publisher could not have been unethical.

In terms of confidence of seeing A faster, I think it comes down to knowing what you do and do not want. Here, we are looking for an answer that, if true, would guarantee that the company was not unethical.

AndrewArabie on April 7, 2023

Thank you Emil