Which fallacy is present in the argument that Florida's nuclear power costs falling guarantees the safety of their plants?

Discover the Academic Games Propaganda Section E Test. Study with our quizzes that include multiple choice questions, hints, and explanations. Prepare for success today!

The argument that falling costs of nuclear power in Florida guarantees the safety of their plants reflects a misunderstanding of the relationship between cost and safety. This particular reasoning highlights an implication that because costs have decreased, it directly correlates to an assumption of safety—this relationship is known as the fallacy of Concurrency.

In essence, just because two things occur simultaneously (in this case, falling costs and the operation of nuclear power plants) does not imply that one causes the other or guarantees a particular outcome, such as safety. Safety in nuclear power operations is influenced by a wide range of factors including operational procedures, regulatory oversight, technology, and maintenance practices, none of which are necessarily impacted by the costs of power generation. This illustrates that while costs might influence operational decisions, they do not inherently ensure safety.

Other options like Selected Instances, Hasty Generalization, and Division do not apply in this context as they address different types of logical errors. Selected Instances involves drawing conclusions from a few examples, Hasty Generalization relates to making assumptions based on insufficient data, and Division is about assuming what is true for the whole is true for the parts. None of these directly relate to the flawed causal inference made in the argument regarding cost and safety.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Examzify

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy