Unit 8 · Detecting Reasoning Errors
Rob and Paul — Bolivistan Citizens Logic
Lesson 24 of 34
About this lesson
In Bolivistan, the national team playing always means flags in shop windows. Rob sees no flags and concludes the team isn't playing. Paul sees flags and concludes the team must have been playing. One of them is making a valid logical move — the other is reversing the rule.
Chapters
Question
Rob and Paul are citizens of Bolivistan. In Bolivistan, whenever the national football team is playing, shopkeepers always decorate their windows with the Bolivistani national flag.
Rob: “That’s funny. I thought the national team were playing today, but I don’t see any flags in shop windows. I must have got the date wrong.”
Paul: “Well, I saw quite a few flags in the shops last Wednesday – that must have been when they were playing.”
If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?
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