Question

Difficulty: EasyBridging Conflicting Premises

A municipality recently implemented a comprehensive ban on single-use plastic grocery bags with the stated goal of reducing the total volume of plastic waste generated by its residents. However, municipal data revealed that the city's total plastic waste actually increased significantly in the year following the implementation of the ban. The discovery that residents began purchasing thick, heavy-duty plastic trash liners—which use far more plastic per unit—to replace the free grocery bags they had previously reused for their household garbage effectively resolves this apparent discrepancy.

Answer: Answer

Answer

The statement is true.
The correct answer is True because a valid resolution to a paradox must introduce new information that allows both seemingly contradictory facts to coexist. In this case, the shift from reusing thin grocery bags to purchasing thick, heavy-duty trash bags perfectly explains how a ban on one plastic item logically led to an overall increase in total plastic waste.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the apparent discrepancy in the scenario.
A ban on single-use plastic bags was followed by an unexpected increase in the city's total plastic waste.
Understanding the exact nature of the conflict is necessary to evaluate if the new information can resolve it.
2
Evaluate the new information provided as a potential resolution.
Residents started buying heavy-duty trash bags that contain far more plastic than the banned bags to use as garbage liners.
This determines the mechanism by which the new premise might bridge the gap.
3
Determine if the new information allows both original premises to logically coexist.
Yes. The ban eliminated thin bags but directly caused the purchase of thicker bags, resulting in a net increase in plastic waste.
A valid resolution to a paradox must fully explain how both conflicting facts can occur together in reality.

Key Concept

Resolving a Paradox by Finding a Bridging Mechanism
Estimated Time:45s
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