PT79.S1.Q15 - A popular book argues that people who are successful in business have..

elle.woods-1elle.woods-1 Alum Member
edited July 2023 in Logical Reasoning 16 karma

Hello all!!

Can someone please explain this? I thought I understood suf vs. nec, but then I got to this question. It just won't click what is happening in the argument, and the videos are not helping me as much.

Thanks!
Caitlin

Admin Note: Edited title. Please use the format: "PT#.S#.Q# - brief description of the question."

Comments

  • iolaw-12iolaw-12 Live Member
    110 karma

    The book argues people who are successful in business (sufficient condition) have benefitted from a lot of luck (necessary condition).
    It can be diagrammed like this: success --> luck

    The stimulus them goes on the say that the argument is false because rather success (sufficient condition) requires a lot of hard work (necessary condition).
    It can be diagrammed like this: success --> hard work

    This is an error of reasoning because the stimulus implies that if "success --> hard work" is true then "success --> luck" must be false. However, both of these can be true as the same time.

    C is correct because if the book author's argument had been misinterpreted as them saying that anyone who is lucky is successful (luck [sufficient condition] --> success [necessary condition]), then this would be at odds with the "success --> hard work" principle. It would suggest that luck alone is sufficient to be successful; this is something we know to be false based on the last sentence of the stimulus. However, that is not what the book said; rather is said "success --> luck".

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