- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 1787
- Joined: Dec 06, 2013
- Wed Jan 31, 2024 8:14 pm
#105141
Jimmy,
"Few X fail to be Y" is a compound statement, which is why it's causing you so much trouble here. Compare other statements:
"Some A are B"
This is extremely straightforward. It's saying that there are things that are both A and B. There may be one, or a ton. That's all we know.
"Most C are D"
This is also super straightforward. A majority of things that are C are also D. That may end up being just over half of C that are D. Or all of them. Or anything in between. Again, that's all we know.
So...
"Few X fail to be Y"
Well...some X must fail to be Y, otherwise this statement wouldn't make any sense. The author is saying "Look, it's only a few, but there are those few X that fail to be Y". So, "Some X are not Y" is entailed by that statement. But..."some" is normally compatible with "all". In other words, if some A are B, it might be that ALL A are B. That's not possible with our X, Y situation. Sure, some X fail to be Y...but not many. That's what "few" means - there are a few, but only a few, exceptions. So...we can say that the few X that fail to be Y are exceptions. To say that a certain subgroup is an exception to a general rule means that, in most cases, the general rule applies. So..."most X are Y" is also entailed by the statement.
Which aspect of "few X fail to be Y" is relevant in the given situation depends on the rest of the context. Both aspects exist, though, so you should be aware of both.
Robert Carroll
"Few X fail to be Y" is a compound statement, which is why it's causing you so much trouble here. Compare other statements:
"Some A are B"
This is extremely straightforward. It's saying that there are things that are both A and B. There may be one, or a ton. That's all we know.
"Most C are D"
This is also super straightforward. A majority of things that are C are also D. That may end up being just over half of C that are D. Or all of them. Or anything in between. Again, that's all we know.
So...
"Few X fail to be Y"
Well...some X must fail to be Y, otherwise this statement wouldn't make any sense. The author is saying "Look, it's only a few, but there are those few X that fail to be Y". So, "Some X are not Y" is entailed by that statement. But..."some" is normally compatible with "all". In other words, if some A are B, it might be that ALL A are B. That's not possible with our X, Y situation. Sure, some X fail to be Y...but not many. That's what "few" means - there are a few, but only a few, exceptions. So...we can say that the few X that fail to be Y are exceptions. To say that a certain subgroup is an exception to a general rule means that, in most cases, the general rule applies. So..."most X are Y" is also entailed by the statement.
Which aspect of "few X fail to be Y" is relevant in the given situation depends on the rest of the context. Both aspects exist, though, so you should be aware of both.
Robert Carroll
