Causal arguments

[Myersoa]

Hello,

I am having difficulty with Chapter 8 in the LRB. In the beginning of the chapter on page 252, the book explains that LSAT makers believe that the only cause is the one stated in the conclusion and unless stated, there are no other causes that can create the particular effect. It goes on to say that the stated cause is the only cause and all other theoretically possible causes are not, in fact, actual causes.

This made me come to the conclusion that when I see a causl argument, do not look for overlooked possibilities in the answer choices. However, when I did a few practice problems at the end of the chapter, the answers included overlooked possibilies. Am I missing something here?

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hi Myersoa,

Thanks for your question. What we meant to suggest is that you absolutely should consider alternative explanations (i.e. causes) for the effects being observed, precisely because the author herself did not consider them. The central assumption of many, if not most, causal arguments is that there is only one possible way to explain an observed phenomenon, i.e. that the cause is necessary for the effect to occur. This assumption is inherently flawed - a flaw you can exploit to your advantage. For instance, if you're answering a Weaken question, you should look for answer choices that suggest alternative explanations (or causes) for the given effect. And inversely, when solving Assumption or Strengthen questions, you should try to eliminate the possibility that other causes could explain the effect.

Either way, just because the author believes there is only one possible cause does not mean that you should: whenever you solve questions in the Help or Hurt families, your job is not to agree with the author or assume that the information in the stimulus is true. On the contrary: that information is inherently suspect, as the arguments frequently contain unwarranted assumptions and other fallacies in reasoning. Your job is to recognize these weaknesses and exploit them when answering the questions.

Hope this clears things up!