#8 - Essayist: Knowledge has been defined as a true belief

[LSAT2018]

I was completely lost with this question. How do I make sense of the use of hypotheticals in arriving at an argument?

Ps. is this question similar to the reasoning in Practice Test 20 Section 1 Question 21 where a hypothetical is used?

[Brook Miscoski]

LSAT2018,

The way to make sense of the stimulus is to follow the author step by step:

1. Knowledge has a definition.

2. Some people criticize the definition.

3. The author considers and rejects the critique.

When you see the stimulus on that level, it does not matter whether the wording or concepts were convoluted. In this case, the author rejects the idea that the possibility of clairvoyance challenges the definition of knowledge. His rejection states that we don't believe that clairvoyance is reliable. That eliminates everything but (A) and (B), improving your odds of guessing correctly. Since the author rejects the idea that clairvoyance leads to knowledge, we choose (A).

[aheartofsunshine]

Hi there.

I am having a hard time eliminating answer choice E. The previous reply on this post says "his rejection states that we don't believe that clairvoyance is reliable. This eliminates everything but A and B." How does that eliminate everything but A and B? Answer choice E states that clairvoyance is not a case of knowledge (because it's not reliable). To me it seems like the author proves it's not a case of knowledge and does not fit into the definition.

I am seeing now why answer choice is A, because the author says that we aren't actually challenging the definition of knowledge, we are upset about one of the components of the definition not being satisfied. Therefore, there is nothing actually wrong with the definition.

Any help on understanding how to have confidence in eliminating answer choice E? Thanks!

[KelseyWoods]

Hi aheartofsunshine!

The essayist is not demonstrating that clairvoyance is not a case of knowledge; rather, the essayist is demonstrating that clairvoyance is not a reliable process for forming knowledge. So if a person says "I know the Cleveland Browns are going to win the 2021 Super Bowl because I have clairvoyance" the author would argue that the Browns winning the Super Bowl is not knowledge because the claim was formed through clairvoyance, and clairvoyance is not a reliable process for forming beliefs. Clairvoyance is the process; knowledge is the belief. Again, the author is not arguing that clairvoyance is not knowledge, he's arguing that it is not a reliable process for forming beliefs and so, therefore, it is the claims based on clairvoyance (e.g. the Browns winning the 2021 Super Bowl) which do not meet the definition of knowledge. It's a subtle distinction, but those subtle distinctions are important on this tricky test!

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey