Self-study
Brooks: I'm unhappy in my job, but I don't know whether I can accept the risks involved in quitting my job.
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Summarize Argument
Brooks states that she’s unhappy in her job, but doesn’t know whether she can accept the risks of quitting.
Morgenstern concludes that Brooks should just quit. This is based on the fact that even if Brooks can’t find another job after quitting — which is the only risk of quitting — Brooks is going to be unhappy. But Brooks is already unhappy; so Brooks will be unhappy whether she quits or not.
Identify and Describe Flaw
Morgenstern overlooks the possibility that the unhappiness from quitting and being unable to find another job might be much more serious and debilitating than the unhappines Brooks currently feels from staying at the job. Morgenstern also overlooks the possibility that there are other negative effects from quitting that might outweigh whatever gains in happiness Brooks might obtain (such as inability to pay rent, starving, becoming homeless, etc.).
13.
Morgenstern's argument is flawed in ████ ██
a
fails to take ████ ███████ ████ ███████████ ███ ████ ██ █████████ ██ ████████████
Morgenstern overlooks the possibility that Brooks’ unhappiness from failing to find a job after quitting might be more intense or significant than her unhappiness from staying in the job. This variation in impact of unhappiness shows why Morg.’s conclusion doesn’t follow.
b
relies on an ██████████ ████ ██ ██████████ ██ ████████ ████ ███ ██████████ ██ ████
(B) describes circular reasoning. The author’s conclusion that Brooks should just quit isn’t based on the assumption that Brooks should just quit. It’s based on the assumption that her unhappiness wouldn’t be worse from quitting.
c
mischaracterizes what Brooks ████
Morgenstern doesn’t mischaracterize anything Brooks says. Morg. acknowledges that Brooks is unhappy at the job and that there are risks involved in quitting. Morgenstern makes assumptions about those risks and the level of unhappiness, but that isn’t twisting Brooks’ statements.
d
conflates two different █████ ██ ████
Morgenstern’s premise indicates that “the only” risk in quitting is that of not finding another job. This kind of risk isn’t confused for another kind of risk. There’s only one sense of “risk” — the chance that a particular bad outcome will happen.
e
reaches a generalization ██ ███ █████ ██ █ ██████ ████
The claim that Brooks “might as well just quit” isn’t a generalization. It’s a claim that applies to Brooks alone and is directed toward what Brooks should do; this isn’t general.