Question

Difficulty: MediumStatement and Arguments

Evaluate the logical validity of the following argument concerning a policy decision.

Statement: Should the state government completely privatize all intra-state public transport bus services to improve operational efficiency?
Argument: Yes, because the privatization of public transport systems in several advanced European nations has resulted in significantly higher operational efficiency and profitability.

Assertion: The provided argument is logically strong.

Answer: Answer

Answer

The assertion is false; the argument is logically weak due to an improper comparison.
The argument is weak because it commits the fallacy of false analogy. Comparing a local state's public transport system to that of advanced European nations ignores critical differences in geography, economy, and passenger demographics. Because the argument is weak, the assertion that the argument is strong is false.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the core objective of the statement.
The statement proposes the complete privatization of intra-state public transport to improve efficiency.
To determine what constitutes a relevant and strong argument, the core policy goal must be clear.
2
Evaluate the argument's reasoning.
The argument supports privatization solely based on the success of similar policies in advanced European nations.
Identifying the premise of the argument is necessary to test its logical validity.
3
Assess the logical strength of the premise.
The comparison is flawed because it ignores the significant socio-economic and demographic differences between a local state and advanced European nations.
An argument based merely on imitation without considering contextual parity is inherently weak.

Key Concept

Logical Validity of Arguments (Improper Analogy/Imitation Fallacy)
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