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amoli078@fiu.edu on September 4, 2023

Caught on little differences between alternate and counter

Can you break down the difference between counterexample and alternate explanation

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Emil-Kunkin on September 4, 2023

A counterexample is a fact or example that disproves an assertion. For example, we could have an argument that all dogs are yellow. A counterexample would the the existence of a big red dog.

An alternative explanation is a possible explanation for a phenomenon that differs from the explanation offered in an argument. This is only really relevant for cause and effect arguments. For example, we could have an argument that since ice cream sales and polio both increase in the summer, it must be that ice cream causes polio. However, there is a viable alternative explanation, which is that hot weather actually leads to both more cases of polio and to more ice cream sales.

Here, there is no counterexample because the author never actually cites an example that disproves the alleged claim.

amoli078@fiu.edu on September 5, 2023

thank you!