PT92.S1.Q13 - Philosopher: as many prominent physicists have suggested...

ledkarly

I initially picked E, but with BR I picked B and I know clearly why its the right answer, but why is E wrong?

Admin note: https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-92-section-1-question-13/

Scott Milam

1) The phrase “As many prominent physicists have suggested…” doesn’t imply that the author is presuming the physicists are correct. The author is merely pointing out that he agrees with the prominent physicists. ‘Presumes’ is too strong a word in this context.

2) The physicists’ agreement with premise 1 isn’t critical to the argument. If we found out that these prominent physicists don’t believe energy is theoretical, it would weaken the argument (because there is less reason to trust premise 1), but it wouldn’t refute the argument. The flaw in (B) is a fatal flaw.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have other questions!

KevinLuminateLSAT

@ledkarly

1. "As my momma always said, life is like a box of chocolates."

2. "Life is like a box of chocolates, since my momma said so."

What's the difference between 1 and 2? In 2, I'm asserting that life is like a box of chocolates and citing my momma's claim as evidence ("since") for that assertion. But in 1, I'm not using my momma's claim as proof that life is like a box of chocolates; rather, I'm independently asserting that life is like a box of chocolates while noting (irrelevantly) that it's something my momma has always said. #2 has a conclusion-premise structure, so it's an argument. But #1 is just two separate facts where neither one supports the truth of the other. ((a) My momma always said X, and (b) X is true).