Flawed ReasoningDiff: Hard
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: A philosopher argues that because energy and mass are just ideas used in physics theories, and everything is made of mass and energy, then everything we see is just an idea too.
Conclusion: Physical objects are merely theoretical constructs rather than tangible realities.
Reasoning: Energy is a theoretical construct, and since mass is essentially the same as energy, mass is also a construct; because physical objects are made of mass and energy, they must also be constructs.
Analysis: This argument suffers from a classic composition fallacy, assuming that what is true of the parts must be true of the whole. Even if we accept the premise that 'energy' and 'mass' are labels for theoretical concepts in physics, it doesn't logically follow that the physical objects themselves lack objective reality. The philosopher is essentially confusing the map (the theoretical constructs) with the territory (the physical objects). Look for an answer choice that points out this leap from the nature of the components to the nature of the entity as a whole.
Conclusion: Physical objects are merely theoretical constructs rather than tangible realities.
Reasoning: Energy is a theoretical construct, and since mass is essentially the same as energy, mass is also a construct; because physical objects are made of mass and energy, they must also be constructs.
Analysis: This argument suffers from a classic composition fallacy, assuming that what is true of the parts must be true of the whole. Even if we accept the premise that 'energy' and 'mass' are labels for theoretical concepts in physics, it doesn't logically follow that the physical objects themselves lack objective reality. The philosopher is essentially confusing the map (the theoretical constructs) with the territory (the physical objects). Look for an answer choice that points out this leap from the nature of the components to the nature of the entity as a whole.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage13.The philosopher's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on which one of the following grounds?
Correct Answer
B
B identifies the composition flaw: it points out that a whole may lack a feature even if it’s composed purely of things that have that feature. That directly matches the move from “mass and energy are theoretical constructs” to “physical objects are theoretical constructs.”
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