LSAT 1 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q22

LR Question 22 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: The 1980s have been characterized as a period of selfish …

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: The characterization of the 80s as a period of selfish individualism is no different from any other era.

REASONING: All human actions have always been motivated by selfishness, even those that seem unselfish.

ANALYSIS: The stimulus tries to reject the claim that the 1980s were uniquely selfish by saying that selfishness has always been part of human behavior.

But it doesn’t use the term “selfish” consistently. When describing the 1980s, it’s talking about selfish individualism. That’s people acting in their own interest without thinking about others, in a way that harms social cohesion.

But later, it defines all human behavior as selfish by saying even unselfish acts are actually motivated by a selfish concern for the human species. That’s not the same thing as before. Caring about the human species as a whole is not individualistic. It’s actually the opposite of what the 1980s are being criticized for.

So the argument shifts the meaning of “selfish” to make the 1980s look normal, even though it’s not comparing the same kind of selfishness.

___________

1. The claim is relevant. It’s the main point of the argument: that the 1980s are not unique because selfishness has always been present.
2. Why would we need statistics? This is a classic LSAT trap to suggest a flaw because numbers aren’t used. But the argument makes a conceptual claim about the nature of human motivation, not a quantitative one.
3. This is the opposite of what the argument says. It actually argues that selfishness has always been present, so characterizing a specific period like the 1980s as uniquely selfish is wrong.
4. It only makes a point about human society. No claims are made about other animals, so this is completely out of scope.
5. CORRECT. The argument shifts between two fundamentally different meanings of selfishness but treats them as the same.