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Difficulty: MediumComposition and Division (Part to Whole)

Botanist: The Redwood Forest ecosystem is incredibly resilient to sudden temperature fluctuations, able to maintain its overall biological stability even during severe heat waves. It must be the case, then, that each species of fern native to the Redwood Forest is similarly capable of withstanding extreme temperature changes.

Which of the following most accurately describes the logical flaw in the botanist's argument?

  1. The argument unjustifiably assumes that a characteristic belonging to an entire system is also shared by all of the individual components within that system.Answer
  2. B
    The author inappropriately assumes that the resilience of the overall ecosystem is the direct result of the individual fern species' ability to survive.
  3. C
    The reasoning illicitly changes the definition of 'resilient' halfway through the argument to guarantee the conclusion.
  4. D
    The botanist mischaracterizes a supporting premise about the ecosystem's biological stability as the primary conclusion of the argument.
  5. E
    The argument concludes that a trait is universal among all native ferns based on evidence that only proves the trait exists in a few members.

Answer

The correct answer is the option stating that the argument unjustifiably assumes that a characteristic belonging to an entire system is also shared by all of the individual components within that system.
The correct answer accurately diagnoses the fallacy of division. The argument takes a characteristic of the Redwood Forest ecosystem as a whole—its resilience to temperature fluctuations—and unjustifiably assumes that this exact same characteristic must belong to its individual parts, namely the native fern species. A system can be broadly stable even if its individual parts are highly vulnerable and constantly turning over.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the argument's core structure by separating the premise from the conclusion.
Premise: The ecosystem as a whole is resilient to temperature fluctuations. Conclusion: Each native fern species is capable of withstanding extreme temperature changes.
Deconstructing the argument is the first crucial step to identifying any logical gaps between the provided evidence and the final claim.
2
Analyze the relationship between the subjects in the premise and the conclusion.
The premise addresses a macro-level entity (the entire ecosystem), while the conclusion addresses a micro-level component of that entity (individual fern species).
Understanding the scope shift from a 'whole' to a 'part' reveals the specific category of logical error being tested.
3
Classify the logical flaw based on the identified gap.
The argument commits the fallacy of division by attributing a property of a whole to its constituent parts.
An ecosystem can maintain overall stability even if individual species within it are highly vulnerable to heat waves, rendering the botanist's inference logically invalid.
4
Evaluate the answer choices to find the abstract description of the division fallacy.
The option describing an assumption that a characteristic of an 'entire system' is shared by its 'individual components' perfectly matches the error.
Correctly matching the formal abstract description to the specific error guarantees the right answer on flaw questions.

Key Concept

Fallacy of Division (Whole to Part)
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Topics

Composition and Division (Part to Whole)

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