Role in ArgumentDiff: Hardest
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Someone named Graham thinks you have to be busy to be happy. The philosopher disagrees, pointing out that people can be perfectly happy while they're fast asleep and doing nothing at all.
Conclusion: We should not be convinced by Graham's argument that the best life is one full of activity.
Reasoning: Graham's premise that happiness requires activity is false because people can be happy while sleeping, which involves no activity.
Analysis: The claim about sleeping functions as a counterexample designed to disprove a specific premise of the opposing argument. Graham's logic relies on the idea that activity is a necessary condition for happiness; by showing that happiness can exist without activity, the philosopher effectively pulls the rug out from under Graham's conclusion. Focus on identifying this as a piece of evidence used to undermine a premise of an alternative viewpoint.
Conclusion: We should not be convinced by Graham's argument that the best life is one full of activity.
Reasoning: Graham's premise that happiness requires activity is false because people can be happy while sleeping, which involves no activity.
Analysis: The claim about sleeping functions as a counterexample designed to disprove a specific premise of the opposing argument. Graham's logic relies on the idea that activity is a necessary condition for happiness; by showing that happiness can exist without activity, the philosopher effectively pulls the rug out from under Graham's conclusion. Focus on identifying this as a piece of evidence used to undermine a premise of an alternative viewpoint.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage17.Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the philosopher's argument by the claim that at least sometimes when sleeping, people are truly happy, even though they are not doing anything?
Correct Answer
B
B is correct because the sleeping example is a counterexample that shows Graham’s premise (“truly happy only when doing something”) is false, thereby undermining his argument.
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