Flawed ReasoningDiff: Easy
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Since scientists haven't been able to prove that psychics are fake, psychics must be real.
Conclusion: Some individuals possess extrasensory perception (ESP).
Reasoning: It has not been scientifically proven that ESP does not exist, and many attempts to find such a proof have failed.
Analysis: This argument is a textbook example of the 'Appeal to Ignorance' fallacy. The fortune-teller treats a lack of evidence for a negative (that ESP doesn't exist) as positive evidence for the affirmative (that ESP does exist). In logic, failing to prove 'not-X' is not the same as proving 'X.' Look for an answer choice that identifies this specific flaw—concluding that a claim is true simply because it hasn't been proven false.
Conclusion: Some individuals possess extrasensory perception (ESP).
Reasoning: It has not been scientifically proven that ESP does not exist, and many attempts to find such a proof have failed.
Analysis: This argument is a textbook example of the 'Appeal to Ignorance' fallacy. The fortune-teller treats a lack of evidence for a negative (that ESP doesn't exist) as positive evidence for the affirmative (that ESP does exist). In logic, failing to prove 'not-X' is not the same as proving 'X.' Look for an answer choice that identifies this specific flaw—concluding that a claim is true simply because it hasn't been proven false.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage8.The reasoning in the fortune-teller's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument
Correct Answer
E
E captures the argument-from-ignorance flaw: taking the fact that a claim has not been shown false as establishing that it is true.
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