"Only twelve people have ever walked on the moon. So the next person you meet did not walk on the moon."

The above argument is:

Question

"Only twelve people have ever walked on the moon. So the next person you meet did not walk on the moon."

The above argument is:

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The prompt presents a reasoning pattern and asks you to categorize it.
Option 1: inesca pable. This term is not a standard label for argument types; even if read as 'inescapable,' the word does not capture the nature of the reasoning, which is about drawing a general conclusion from specific cases rather than an idea of inevitability.
Option 2: inductive. This describes arguments that generalize from specific instances to a broader claim. The statement about the 12 people who have walked on the moon uses a small, specific sample to infer something about the next person encountered, which fits the inductive pattern (conclusion is not guaranteed, but probabilistically or plausibly supported by the observed data).
Option 3: suppositionally inescapable. This is not a standard characterization of argument forms. It suggests an inability to avoid assuming something, but that wording doesn’t align with the typical labels for inductive vs. deductive reasoning and adds unnecessary confusion.
Option 4: suppositionally inescapable and inescapable. This combines two awkward, nonstandard descriptors and amplifies the ambiguity without offering a recognized classification; it does not provide a precise description of the reasoning style.
Option 5: deductive. Deductive reasoning would guarantee the conclusion if the premises were true (the conclusion would necessarily follow from the premises). Here, knowing the number of moon walkers does not logically guarantee that the next person you meet did not walk on the moon, so this option is incorrect.
In summary, the argument moves from a specific set of facts (12 people) to a claim about a future, unspecified individual, which is characteristic of inductive reasoning rather than deductive reasoning. The remaining options either lack standard terminology, mislabel the reasoning, or wrongly assert a deductive guarantee that the example does not provide.

ATHK1X01 Mastery Quiz 12

"Only twelve people have ever walked on the moon. So the next person you meet did not walk on the moon." The above argument is:

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