Golden Mean
The middle is not automatically right.
What it is
The golden mean assumes the truth sits halfway between two extremes. Compromise is not always correct.
Sometimes one side is just right. Splitting the difference is a habit, not an argument.
An LSAT-style example
This example is original. It is not a real LSAT question.
One engineer says the bridge will cost 10 million, the other says 30 million. The fair estimate is 20 million.
The flaw: Splitting the difference is not a cost analysis. One side’s number might be the accurate one.
How to spot it on test day
- Watch for 'meet in the middle,' 'split the difference,' 'the truth is somewhere between.'
- Ask: is there any reason the middle is right, beyond fairness?
- Fairness to both sides is not a method of finding the truth.
The right answer vs. the trap
The right answer
The correct answer says the argument assumes the middle position is correct without evidence.
The trap
The trap may treat the compromise as reasonable. Reasonable is not the same as supported. The flaw is the missing reason.
Find your weak flaws
The free diagnostic scores every question type, including flaw questions, and shows exactly where you are losing points.