LSAT 147 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q24

LR Question 24 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Biologist: Some computer scientists imagine that all…

QUESTION TYPE: Necessary Assumption

CONCLUSION: The computer scientists are wrong to think that you can make AI using only a computer program which contains the information of the human genome.

REASONING: Ours brain are governed by the interactions of proteins which have structures coded into the human genome.

ANALYSIS: The author is assuming that if we have the code for the genome, we won’t have the code for the proteins. If that’s wrong, and having the genome automatically gives us the code for the proteins, then this argument falls apart.

Most of the wrong answers assume you misunderstood the conclusion. So, it’s worth being explicit about what the conclusion says. The author is saying: “Mapping the human genome into a computer isn’t sufficient to create AI”.

That’s it. It’s possible we could create AI. It’s possible we could create AI with something other than a human brain. Or it’s possible that we could create AI with the human genome and also the structure of the proteins that govern interactions in the brain. The author is only making the very limited claim that the genome itself isn’t sufficient.

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1. This strengthens the conclusion, but it’s not necessary. The author was only arguing that programming the human genome wouldn’t be sufficient. Maybe there’d be another way to simulate the brain though.
   Negation: Computers could simulate the processes of the human brain, even though merely mapping DNA wouldn’t be sufficient for this.
2. CORRECT. If this is true, then the argument falls apart. Mapping the genome will automatically allow the computer to determine the interactions of the proteins.
   Negation: The interactions of the proteins are determined by the information in the human genome.
3. The author wasn’t saying AI is impossible. They just said “mapping the human genome into a computer program won’t be enough to create AI.”
4. This strengthens the conclusion, but it’s not necessary.
   Negation: Computers can encapsulate all the knowledge in the human genome, even though this isn’t enough to create AI. (Because the computer would also have to simulate proteins interactions)
5. It doesn’t matter which is more difficult. The author’s point is that presumably you’d need both, and that mapping the genome itself wouldn’t be sufficient.