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Difficulty: Very hardGeneral Method of Reasoning

Political Theorist: Critics of the proposed democratic reform argue that it will inevitably lead to systemic instability. To support this, they point out that identical reforms in neighboring nations resulted in immediate legislative gridlock. However, these critics mistakenly assume that legislative gridlock is inherently destabilizing. In a society characterized by deeply entrenched factionalism, gridlock is frequently the very mechanism that prevents the volatile, radical policy swings that constitute true political instability. Thus, the phenomenon the critics cite as a danger might actually be what preserves order.

Which one of the following most accurately describes the method of reasoning employed by the political theorist?

  1. countering a prediction by arguing that the intermediate effect cited as proof of an ultimate negative outcome is actually a safeguard against that outcomeAnswer
  2. B
    disputing an objection by arguing that the proposed reform will not actually result in the legislative gridlock that the critics predict
  3. C
    challenging an assumption by demonstrating that the concept of 'systemic instability' is used ambiguously by the critics of the reform
  4. D
    denying the relevance of the critics' historical evidence by emphasizing fundamental political differences between the neighboring nations and the society in question
  5. E
    establishing that the proposed reform is the only viable method for overcoming deeply entrenched factionalism within the society

Answer

The political theorist's method is to counter a prediction by arguing that the intermediate effect cited as proof of an ultimate negative outcome is actually a safeguard against that outcome.
The correct answer accurately maps the abstract structural roles of the theorist's argument. The critics predict an 'ultimate negative outcome' (systemic instability) based on an 'intermediate effect' (legislative gridlock). The theorist counters this by stating that gridlock is actually the 'very mechanism that prevents' (a safeguard against) that exact instability.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Deconstruct the critics' argument.
The critics argue: Reform leads to gridlock (intermediate effect), and gridlock leads to systemic instability (ultimate negative outcome).
Identifying the opponent's structure is necessary to understand how the author attacks it.
2
Analyze the theorist's counter-argument.
The theorist argues that in factional societies, gridlock prevents volatile policy swings, meaning gridlock actually prevents true political instability.
We must map the theorist's premises to their logical function.
3
Synthesize the structural relationship between the two arguments.
The theorist does not deny the intermediate effect (gridlock) will happen. Instead, the theorist reverses its valence, arguing it prevents, rather than causes, the ultimate negative outcome.
Abstracting the specific topics (gridlock, instability) into logical roles allows us to find the correct generalized description.
4
Evaluate the abstract options against the synthesized structure.
The correct option correctly identifies 'gridlock' as the intermediate effect and states that it acts as a 'safeguard' against the ultimate negative outcome.
This guarantees a perfect match between the abstract language and the concrete stimulus.

Key Concept

General Method of Reasoning
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General Method of Reasoning

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