Any play that skillfully examines human nature will be performed regularly over the centuries. There were no plays written last year that the drama critic has neither read nor seen performed. No play will be popular several centuries from now unless it continues to be performed regularly during the intervening time. For a play to deserve high critical acclaim it must be popular for more than just a few years.
Drama critic: There were many interesting plays written last year. Surely some will gain widespread popularity for at least a few years, and some will even receive high critical acclaim, but none will be popular several centuries from now. The only plays that continue to be performed regularly over many decades and centuries are those that skillfully explore human nature, and none of the plays written last year examine human nature in a particularly skillful way.
The argument relies on assuming which one of the following?