LSAT Explanation PT 43, S2, Q12: Essayist: People once believed that Earth

LSAT Question Stem

A flaw in the essayist's argument is that the argument 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Flaw question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is B. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

The passage presents an argument by an essayist who claims that the old belief that Earth and its inhabitants were important was false because Earth is not at the center of the universe. The structure of the argument is as follows:

Premise 1: People once believed that Earth was at the center of the universe, and that Earth and its inhabitants were important.

Premise 2: We now know that Earth is not at the center of the universe, but rather revolves around a star at the outskirts of a spiral arm of one of countless galaxies.

Conclusion: Therefore, the old belief that Earth and its inhabitants were important was false.

To make this argument more accessible, let's use a simple example. Imagine a group of people who believe that their town is the most important place in the world because it is located at the exact center of the country. Later, they discover that their town is actually located near the border of the country. The essayist's argument is similar to claiming that since the town is not at the center of the country, it cannot be important.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument could be: "Can Earth and its inhabitants still be considered important even if Earth is not at the center of the universe?"

The question type for this problem is a Flaw question, and it asks us to identify a flaw in the essayist's argument.

Answer Choice Explanations:

a) The essayist's argument does not presume that only true statements can have good reasons to be believed. The essayist's argument is based on the idea that if the reason for believing something is false, then the belief itself must also be false. This answer choice is not a flaw in the argument.

b) This is the correct answer choice. The essayist's argument neglects to consider that even if the reason for believing that Earth and its inhabitants were important was questionable, the belief itself could still be true. Just because the reason for believing something is shown to be false, it does not necessarily mean that the belief itself is false.

c) The essayist's argument does not fail to consider that there can be no reason for disbelieving a true statement. This answer choice is not relevant to the flaw in the argument.

d) The essayist's argument focuses on a specific belief held by people in the past. It is not necessary for the essayist to show that people's perception of their importance changed from century to century, as this is not relevant to the flaw in the argument.

e) Similar to answer choice (d), the essayist's argument is focused on a specific belief held by people in the past. The essayist does not need to discuss people from different cultures who may hold different beliefs about their importance, as this is not relevant to the flaw in the argument.