#5 - From a magazine article: Self-confidence is a dangerous

[Jeff Wren]

Hi dshen,

First, to state the obvious, whenever something is "implied," it won't be explicitly stated, so you won't find a clear statement that Hitler's arrogance specifically arose from self-confidence anywhere in the argument. If this had been clearly stated, then it wouldn't be implied.

Instead, you need to read the argument and understand the context and the reasoning of the argument. The argument begins by claiming that self-confidence is dangerous. This is the conclusion of the argument and everything else in the argument is provided to support this claim. The next sentence explains that self-confidence often degenerates into arrogance. The following sentence mentions the dangers of arrogance. The final sentence, which notes the "arrogant self-confidence of a Hitler or a Stalin" (my emphasis), is provided to show examples of the very problem discussed earlier in the argument, specifically how self-confidence can lead to arrogance, which is dangerous.

In other words, the argument isn't simply mentioning Hitler and Stalin and how they had arrogant self-confidence for no reason; it is meant to show how self-confidence can lead to arrogance, which can be dangerous.

For questions and answers about what is implied, you'll need to extrapolate beyond what is actually written to consider why something was included in the argument.

[Amber Thomas]

Hi dshen123!

We can see this in the phrase: "How much more human the twentieth century would have been without the arrogant self-confidence of a Hitler or a Stalin!"

I hope this helps!