Identifying Points on Which Disputants Hold Conflicting Views

This is a famous painting. Do you know what it is?

Mary: Computers will make more information available to ordinary people than was ever available before, thus making it easier for them to acquire knowledge without consulting experts.

Joyce: As more knowledge became available in previous centuries, the need for specialists to synthesize and explain it to nonspecialists increased. So computers will probably create a greater dependency on experts.

What do Mary and Joyce disagree about?

Step 1: Form a clear mental picture about what's going on.
Step 2: What does what each person say commit them to?

So Mary says "Computers will decrease our dependency on experts."

Joyce says "Computers will increase our dependency on experts."

Correct answer: M & J disagree over whether computers will increase the need for ordinary people seeking knowledge to turn to experts. Mary says no. Joyce says yes.

Some points to consider:
1. The evidence that two speakers disagree about a particular point ALWAYS comes from what they EXPLICITLY say.
2. Rely only on what a speaker explicitly says and on what can be properly inferred from that.
3. The incorrect answer choices are 1. two speakers agree or 2. the view of at least one of the speakers cannot be determined on what has been said.