[dankim]

Hi Mike! I have just recently bought your LSAT trainer and am in the process of study for the September LSAT exam. In any case, I have a question regarding a concept in the trainer. I am having trouble distinguishing between takes for granted and fails to consider. I know the trainer states that if someone is “fails to consider” the that person is forgetting a necessary factor(s) for that argument. As for takes for granted, a person is making a nonexistent connection between the support and the conclusion. However, for the majority of flaw questions I feel that both of these concepts can be used to disprove an argument. For example, here is one argument that I feel that one can apply both concepts:

“We live under the assumption that the United States is the wealthiest of all nations, but this is not true, Qatar, an Arab country located in Western Asia, has a higher per-capita Income.”

Now when it comes to choosing which concept to use, I originally chose “fails to consider” by stating that the author uses just per-capita income as the sole indicator of overall wealth and is failing to consider that there are other factors that contribute to the overall wealth of a nation. However, the book states that it “takes for granted that per-capita income is enough to make a determination about the wealth of nations…” Can “fails to consider” be used as a valid way to disprove the argument? Also, what is the best way to distinguish when one of the two concepts is a definite solution to disproving a flawed argument? In an argument, what can I use as an indicator of which concept to use?

[Mike Kim]

Hey Dan —

Your instincts are correct  — all argument flaws can be described both in terms of “takes for granted” and “fails to consider” — those are just two different ways to think about reasoning issues, and there isn’t a right or wrong way (in regards to those two phrases) to think of any particular argument flaw — in addition, if you get yourself in the habit of going to both viewpoints in order to try to understand the flaws you are seeing, you’ll put yourself in a better position to recognize flaws you might not otherwise, and also to understand flaws more completely than you might otherwise —

Sorry if the instructions for the drill make it appear as though you had to pick one phrasing or the other — I’ll discuss the value of thinking both ways more as you get deeper into the book —

Hope you are finding the Trainer useful thus far, and if you need anything else just let me know —

Mike

[LSAT Dan]

If I can tack on to Mike’s answer, in both cases, one possible position is being asserted as THE correct position, even though another position might be correct. So they’re two different sides of the same coin.  “Takes for granted” is the wording that describes that position being chosen (i.e., it’s an assumption), while “fails to consider” refers to the position being ignored.

For instance, if I try a Coke Zero and proclaim it to be the best diet drink ever, I’m “taking for granted” (i.e. assuming) that Pepsi does NOT have a product that’s better.

I’m “failing to consider” (ignoring) the possibility that Pepsi DOES have a product that’s better.

[Mike Kim]

Wow – that is a super-clean way to think of it — not sure if I’ve ever been able to explain it so simply myself – thanks so much, Dan!

[trasi28]

Mr. Kim, I worked on the “Fails to consider” and “Takes for granted”, and I wanted to know, is there a key to identifying one or the other? In some of the arguments, fails to consider and takes for granted, could be used interchangeably. Is there a key to determining one from the other?

[trasi28]

LSAT Dan, I just read your way of looking at both and that completely helps me!! LIKE I was going crazy trying to figure which one I should choose and how they are applied! Thank you!

 

[LSAT Dan]

Glad you found it helpful!  Yes, in the passage, there’s no difference.  It’s just a question of which way they’ll word it in the answer choice.