Q10 - Samuel: Because communication via

[ohthatpatrick]

What does the Question Stem tell us?
ID the Disagreement

Break down the Stimulus:

Sam: Computer communication diminishes, not enhances, communal bonds. After all, computer communication usually involves anonymous contact between people who would otherwise interact in person.
Tova: Computer communiation is usually replacing asocial or antisocial behavior.

Any prephrase?
Going back to Sam's two claims, let's ask ourselves if Tova would argue the opposite. Would Tova argue that "computer communication ENHANCES, not diminshes, communal bonds?" Yes, probably! He's saying that computer communication replaces asocial (neutral) or antisocial (negative) behavior. So that would be a net gain in terms of social behavior. Does Tova argue that "computer communication is normally NOT conducted between people who would otherwise interact in person?" Yes! He says it replaces asocial and antisocial stuff.

Correct answer:
E

Answer choice analysis:
A) Neither person made a claim about the general trend of modern life.

B) This is extreme, so it's unlikely that either person would agree. We certainly don't have evidence to support that either person agrees to this extreme claim.

C) They would probably both agree to this.

D) Nothing in the language of either person's claims would allow us to get to "desirable".

E) Sam thinks that computer communication dissolves communal bonds because it's anonymous (weaker social bond), and the people doing it would OTHERWISE interact in person (stronger social bond). Tova is saying that if people weren't communicating via computer, they'd be engaged in asocial or antisocial behavior (weaker social bonds). So this works. Sam would say YES; Tova would say NO.

Takeaway/Pattern: After reading both people's claims, go back to the first person's claims and ask yourself, for each claim, "Would person 2 argue the opposite?" That helps you get a more specific prephrase. Don't pick an answer unless you have inferential support that one person would say YES and the other would say NO.

#officialexplanation

[lichenrachel]

I chose C instead of E. Now reviewing it, I can see how E is the correct. But I am still not so sure why C is wrong. Is it because "anonymous communication" is not exactly "communication via computer"?

[giladedelman]

Thanks for posting!

I think the bigger reason why (C) is incorrect is that both Samuel and Tova seem to agree with the notion that face-to-face interaction is superior to computer interaction when it comes to building social bonds. Tova's point is not that computer interaction enhances social bonds in itself, but rather that the behavior it replaces doesn't build those bonds either, anyway. So even if we grant that "anonymous" is close enough to "via computer," we don't have any basis for saying that they'd disagree about this statement.

Does that answer your question? Please let me know if you still don't see why (C) is incorrect.

[LSAT-Chang]

Hmm.. I still don't get where we get evidence for (E) in Tova's argument. I see how Samuel would agree with this statement since he states "who would otherwise interact in person... it contributes to the dissolution of lasting communal bonds" but how does Tova disagree with this?? Is it just the idea that Tova believes other forms of communication are "asocial" and "antisocial"??

[zhanga]

Like you said, Samuel would agree with E because he thinks that communicating via computer is replacing interactions in person, something that contributes to the creation of lasting communal bonds or as the answer choice says stronger social bonds.

It's harder to see why Tova would disagree with the statement, but I think the evidence comes from his premise that communication via computer more often replaces asocial or even antisocial behavior. So if people were not communicating via computer, they wouldn't replace those behaviors so they wouldn't be engaging in activities that create stronger social bonds.

Does that make more sense?

[giladedelman]

Right, so, Tova is saying that computer communication replaces "asocial or even antisocial behavior." So according to her, if people were not communicating via computer, they would not be creating stronger bonds -- rather, they would be engaged in such asocial or antisocial behavior. This is the opposite of what Samuel thinks.

Also, I think my explanation of answer (C) is messed up. I think it's safer to say that we have no idea whether Tova thinks face-to-face or anonymous communication is more likely to contribute to the creation of social bonds.

Good discussion!

[chike_eze]

Also, I think my explanation of answer (C) is messed up. I think it's safer to say that we have no idea whether Tova thinks face-to-face or anonymous communication is more likely to contribute to the creation of social bonds.

Good discussion!

I agree. I was going to say that Tova does not necessarily offer an opinion on face-to-face communication.

with (E), Samuel would say Yes - they would interact face-to-face. Tova would say not necessarily - they may be anti-social and not interact at all

[nflamel69]

Personally I think the biggest fault in C is the problem with anonymous communication. Both people are talking about communication via computer. Although it is usually anonymous, I don't think it can jump from that to anonymous communication.

[wj097]

All in all, I agree why A-D is wrong answer.

HOWEVER, I would need someone to really explain to me why SAMUEL would agree/disagree with (E) that says if NOT communicated via computer, then create stronger social bond.

Nowhere does SAMUEL talks or alludes what his opinion is to be in case of NOT communicated via computer. I know it has the word "OTHERWISE" but this merely gives you information that ppl would interact IN PERSON in case of NON COMPUTER, but, does not describe/explain/imply/allude whether IN PERSON communication would actually contribute to dissolution or creation of social bond. This is different from TOVA's, as TOVA's use of the word "REPLACE" does actually allude that before COMPUTER communication there has been asocial/antisocial behavior.

Thx in advance

[chike_eze]

All in all, I agree why A-D is wrong answer.

HOWEVER, I would need someone to really explain to me why SAMUEL would agree/disagree with (E) that says if NOT communicated via computer, then create stronger social bond.

Nowhere does SAMUEL talks or alludes what his opinion is to be in case of NOT communicated via computer. I know it has the word "OTHERWISE" but this merely gives you information that ppl would interact IN PERSON in case of NON COMPUTER, but, does not describe/explain/imply/allude whether IN PERSON communication would actually contribute to dissolution or creation of social bond. This is different from TOVA's, as TOVA's use of the word "REPLACE" does actually allude that before COMPUTER communication there has been asocial/antisocial behavior.

Thx in advance

Actually, I read this differently. Samuel is saying that these people communicate with computers, if not, then they would be communicating in person. Since they are communicating with computers (which is usually anonymous and private) then this contributes to disolution of social/communal bonds, not creating social/communal bonds.

Why did the author structure the passage this way? -- i.e., If not A, then B. A therefore dissolution of X, not creation of X.

Note that I converted "otherwise" to "if not", i.e., not A --> B

In my opinion, from the way Sam's passage is written, "computer communications" is to disolution of communal bonds, as "in person communication" is to creation of communal bonds.

Therefore, in response to (E), Samuel would say 'Yes'. If they are not communicating via computer, then they would most likely be communicating in person. And if they are communicating in person, then they would be creating communal (social) bonds.

[ganbayou]

Hi, how can replacing asocial or antisocial behavior result in creating stronger social bonds?
I was not sure about E because even though there are less antisocial behavior, I thought that does not necessarily mean it will create stronger social bonds.
Since Tova says "replace," so there might be less antisocial behavior, but would this mean there will be stronger social bonds?
Or maybe Tova doesn't need to think it will make it stronger? She talks about replacement and if there is no communication via computer, there could be more antisocial behavior and this does not make the bonds stronger, so will disagree with E?

Thank you

[ohthatpatrick]

There are three categories of value: positive, neutral, negative.

Some words have all three versions: moral, amoral, immoral

Or in this case, social, asocial, antisocial.

If you replace (asocial and antisocial), then by process of elimination, you have be replacing it with social. If you're no longer doing something neutral or negative, then you must be doing something positive.

Samuel thinks that communication by computer replaces social behavior with asocial/antisocial behavior.

Tova thinks that communication by computer replaces asocial/antisocial behavior with more of the same.

So Samuel thinks that if you stop communicating by computer, you replace asocial/antisocial with social behavior, which represents a net gain in creating stronger social bonds.

Tova thinks that if you stop communicating by computer, you're replacing asocial/antisocial with more asocial/antisocial behavior, so you haven't really gained anything.

[donghai819]

What Samuel says is computers result in dissolution, not creation, of social bonds
What Tova says is more often computers replace asocial and antisocial behavior

A. None of two has opinion about "modern life"
B. None of two has opinion about "private behavior"
C. Samuel agrees, whereas Tova has no opinion
D. Samuel has no opinion on this
E. Samuel disagrees, whereas Tova agrees.