All sages provide both wisdom and inspiration. Since Dasha’s speech contained wisdom and greatly inspired her audience, Dasha is a sage.
Which one of the following points out the flaw in the argument above?
Are these your choices?
Just because Dasha is a sage doesn’t mean that she is always wise and inspirational.
Just because Dasha’s speech provided wisdom and inspiration doesn’t mean that it provided more wisdom than inspiration.
Just because Dasha satisfied two requirements of being a sage doesn’t necessarily mean that she satisfies all the requirements of being a sage.
Just because Dasha provided wisdom and inspiration in a speech doesn’t mean that all sages use speeches to provide wisdom and inspiration.
Which answer do you think is right?
The flaw in the argument above is that it assumes that everyone who provides both wisdom and inspiration is a sage, which may not be true. To identify the flaw more explicitly, it is necessary to point out the logical error, such as:
- The argument commits the fallacy of affirming the consequent, which is a form of invalid reasoning. Even though all sages may provide wisdom and inspiration, it does not necessarily mean that anyone who provides wisdom and inspiration is a sage. Therefore, the conclusion that Dasha is a sage is not necessarily true based on the given premises.
- The argument lacks an explicit and valid connection between the premises and the conclusion. It assumes a generalization without sufficient evidence or reasoning to support the claim. Therefore, the conclusion may not necessarily follow from the premises.
By identifying these flaws, it becomes clear that the argument does not provide a solid basis for concluding that Dasha is a sage.