Skill Builder Question Six

Question:

All libraries and bookstores are intellectual places. Most well-stocked intellectual places showcase a wide range of books on various subjects. But if an intellectual place is disorganized, it is not well-stocked.

Analysis:

See the library one is technically a formal argument, it sets two conditions (p) = All libraries and bookstores are intellectual places, AND (q) = Most well-stocked intellectual places showcase a wide range of books on various subjects. Charted this looks like (p) ^(q) > X The statement (g) = if an intellectual place is disorganized, it is not well-stocked. Cannot equal X because it violates the condition of (q) that is " it is not" infers NOT(q)… That is being "not well organized" does not equate to "a wide range of books on various subjects". It just means we don't have enough information to draw a valid conclusion, or to prove the conclusion true or false. A NULL conclusion is still a conclusion, it just sucks at its job. If the last sentence said "has a limited selection" instead of "is disorganized" it would be a valid conclusion.

When people imagine or have delusional answers to ideas, formally called "Besires" in philosophy, you get this kind of argument structure. In fact, that is what most of the "God of the gaps" domain of argument in religion is. This is a really common thinking trap absolutely, but I don't know that it was represented correctly here.