Identifying Assumptions in Arguments Flashcards

Argument: 'Because this country has the highest per-capita chocolate consumption, it must also have the highest rate of happiness.' What assumption underlies this claim?

Answer: Chocolate consumption is a valid indicator of overall national happiness

The argument assumes a correlation between chocolate consumption and happiness reflects a meaningful relationship worth concluding from.

Argument: 'My grandfather smoked his whole life and lived to 95, so smoking cannot be as dangerous as scientists claim.' What assumption is made here?

Answer: A single person's experience is representative of the general population's risk

The argument assumes one anecdote can refute statistical evidence drawn from large population studies.

Argument: 'Every successful entrepreneur I know dropped out of college; college degrees are therefore unnecessary for business success.' What assumption is present?

Answer: The entrepreneurs known to the speaker are a representative sample of all successful entrepreneurs

The argument assumes that personal acquaintances constitute a representative sample, ignoring selection bias.

Argument: 'The report states that Exercise X burns 500 calories per session. Sarah does Exercise X daily, so she will lose weight.' Which assumption does this depend on?

Answer: Sarah's caloric intake does not increase enough to offset the calories burned

The argument assumes Sarah won't compensate by eating more, which is necessary for the calorie deficit to produce weight loss.

Argument: 'Nations that invest heavily in education have stronger economies; therefore, investing in education causes economic growth.' What assumption is this based on?

Answer: The correlation between education spending and economic strength reflects causation rather than reverse causation or a third factor

The argument assumes the observed correlation reflects a causal direction, ignoring that wealthy economies can afford to spend more on education.

Argument: 'Since violent video games became popular, youth violence statistics have increased; violent games must be causing youth violence.' What assumption does this rely on?

Answer: The temporal coincidence reflects a causal relationship between gaming and violence

The argument assumes that because two trends occurred simultaneously, one caused the other — a classic post hoc fallacy.

Argument: 'People in rural areas report higher life satisfaction than city dwellers; moving to the countryside would therefore make most people happier.' What assumption is present?

Answer: Life satisfaction in rural areas is caused by the rural environment rather than self-selection of satisfied people into rural living

The argument ignores that happier people may choose rural living, making it wrong to assume the environment itself produces the satisfaction.