Under the revised maritime salvage code, a claimant is entitled to a full recovery fee only if the recovered vessel was actively broadcasting a distress signal or the claimant can prove the vessel was abandoned for at least thirty days.
Consider this deduction: 'If a claimant cannot prove the vessel was abandoned for at least thirty days, or if the vessel was not actively broadcasting a distress signal, then the claimant is not entitled to a full recovery fee.'
Is this deduction logically valid based exclusively on the code provided?
Answer: Answer
Answer
False. The deduction is logically invalid due to an incorrect application of De Morgan's laws when forming the contrapositive.
The deduction is logically invalid. The original rule requires at least one of two conditions (broadcasting OR abandoned) to be true for the fee entitlement to be possible. To properly deduce that a claimant is NOT entitled to the fee via a contrapositive, BOTH conditions must be negated and joined by 'AND' (not broadcasting AND not abandoned). The provided statement incorrectly uses 'or', meaning a claimant who only failed one condition would erroneously lose the fee, contradicting the original rule.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Forming Contrapositives with De Morgan's Laws