PTC.S3.Q15 - A survey of historians shows

Comments

• AmericanInJapan Alum Member

  November 2023 73 karma

  Hello!

  This one is a tough one.

  Let's say that I told you that I love cookies. Any kind of cookie is great, but my favorite kind of cookie is chocolate chip. It's the best kind of cookie there is in my opinion.

  My wife comes home after going to the cookie store and says she didn't get me anything. Why? Well, they didn't have any chocolate chip cookies, so since they didn't have my favorite, I must not like any other kind of cookie, so she didn't buy me anything, even though they had a lovely Double Chocolate cookie.

  What's the problem with her logic here?

  .......

  You should be thinking, hold on, he loves cookies, just because they didn't have his favorite doesn't mean she shouldn't have gotten him any cookies. Maybe he would've preferred chocolate chip but that double chocolate would've been good too. That's just mean.

  First of all, yes, incredibly mean. It shall never be forgiven. But secondly, the author of this passage makes the exact same logical flaw.

  The author is saying, well if they can't have the best, they clearly don't value anything else. If they can't have a chocolate chip cookie, they clearly don't want anything.

  C points out this flaw by saying hey, wait a minute, there could be historical sources that might not be their favorite or the best, but they might still want them or use them. They might not have preferred culinary arts (double chocolate cookie) but they'll still take it. You, the author, didn't think about that, you just thought it was either the best or nothing at all.

  Hope this helps!