Self-study
Science journalist: Europa, a moon of Jupiter, is covered with ice. ████ ████████ ███████████ ██ █ ██████████ ████████ ███████ ████ █████ ███ ██████ ██ ██████ █████ ████ █████ ███ ████ ████ ██ ██ ████ ██ █████ ██████ ████ ██ ███ ████████ ██ ██████ ██████ ██████ ██ ██ ██████ ████ ██ █████ █████████ ████ ███ ███████ ██ ███████
Summarize Argument
The science journalist concludes that life has likely evolved on Europa, a moon of Jupiter. This is based on the claim that there is probably liquid water on Europa, and liquid water is necessary for life to evolve.
Identify and Describe Flaw
The science journalist confuses necessary and sufficient conditions, a cookie-cutter flaw. If liquid water is present on Europa, that would fulfill a necessary condition for life to evolve. However, liquid water might not be sufficient for life to evolve. Other factors might also be necessary, like the right temperature or geological conditions.
10.
The science journalist's argument is ████ ██████████ ██ █████████ ██ ███ ███████ ████ ██
a
takes for granted ████ ██ █ █████████ █████ ██ █████████ ███ ███ █████████ ██ ████ ██ ██ ████ ███ ████ ████ ████ █████ ███ ████ ███████ ████████ ████ ████ █████████ ████ ███ ████
This is an accurate description of the meaning of a “necessary condition,” and doesn’t constitute a flaw in the argument.
b
fails to address ██████████ ███ ███████████ ████ █████ ███ ██████████ █████████ ███ ███ █████████ ██ ████ ██ ████████ ██ ███ ████████ ██ ██████ █████
The argument takes the likely presence of one necessary condition (water) as making it likely that life has evolved on Europa. This overlooks the possibility that other factors are also necessary, and water, while necessary for life, is not sufficient.
c
takes for granted ████ ████ ██ ██████ ██ ██ ███████ ██ ██████ ███ ███ ████ ███ ████ ███████ ██ ██████
The journalist is only talking about the likelihood of life evolving on Europa, not claiming that this is the only way for life to be present on Europa (for example, life could have migrated from somewhere else).
d
overlooks the possibility ████ █████ █████ ██ ██████████ █████ ██ ████ ████ ████ ███████ ███████ ███ ████████ ██ ██████ █████
The journalist isn’t claiming that the evolution of some unknown form of life on Europa would be impossible without water, only that water is necessary for “life as we know it.”
e
takes for granted ████ ██ ██████████ ██ ██████ █████ ████ ███ ████████ ████████ ██ ██████ █████ █████ ████ █████████ ███ ███ ████ ███████████ ██ ███ ██████████
The journalist isn’t claiming that liquid water is definitely present on Europa, only that it is the most likely explanation for the transmitted data.