Structural Fallacies

After reading Structural Fallacies in chapter 11, I learned that misleading and deceiving premises are the only reasons there are bad arguments. Other causes that can lead to any bad arguments is the way an argument is structured and organized.  The examples in the book between fallacy type and similar type of valid or strong argument were extremely helpful. I got a better understanding because it had comparison of the two side by side giving me a better view of how different it is. The explanation for the fallacy type occurs when sequences are rotated like "affirming the consequent" or saying one thing but later taking back what had been said which is "denying the antecedent." However, similar type of valid or strong arguments shows the correct way of how the premises and conclusion are supposed to be arranged. I now know that I have to be aware of I arrange and construct the premises and conclusion otherwise my arguments would be considered fallacy.

Content Fallacies

Week 4, Post 2

A fallacy argument occurs when a false, deceiving, or misleading premise has been made. From the book, "Critical Thinking," a form of a fallacy argument is:

Bad appeal to common belief {or practice)
If (almost) everyone else (in this group) believes it (or does it), then it's true (good to do).

"Bad appeal to common belief" is almost like falling for peer pressure. It is also like "monkey see, monkey do."  Often times, when there is an amount of people believing it, then it seems like whatever it is has to be real. My friends in college drink at least a cup of coffee a day. I don't drink coffee and I never thought about how it would affect me if I did start drinking it. "I need a cup of coffee, I'm falling asleep in class," is what my friend would always say to me. One day, I felt like I did not have enough energy to pay attention in class so my friend told me to get a cup of coffee to stay alert. I thought that since coffee keeps her and my other college friends awake, it would help me as well. After drinking the cup of coffee, not only was I still tired but I also had an upset stomach. I realized that coffee does not work for me and my body does not like the caffeine. What works for others may not work for me and just because everyone else does it, it may not be the best.

Structure of Arguments

Week 4, Post 1

On page 235, in the Exercises for Structure of Arguments, I chose the third argument to analyze.

Las Vegas has too many people. 1 There's not enough water in the desert to support more than a million people. 2 And the infrastructure of the city can't handle more than a million: The streets are overcrowded, and traffic is always congested; 3 the schools are overcrowded, and new ones can't be built fast enough. 4 We should stop migration to the city by tough zoning laws in the city and county. 5

Argument! Yes, Las Vegas is too populated.

Conclusion: Migration to the city and county should be stopped with laws.

Additional premises needed? If Las Vegas has a numerous amount of people, there is not enough water for more than a million people. If the streets are overcrowded and traffic is congested then a law should stop migration to the city.

Identify any subargument: Claims 2 and 4 are independent and both support 5.

Good argument! Yes, the premises are plausible and the argument is valid. It has also provided descriptive claims which supports the conclusion.

I found this exercise to be useful because it allowed me to break apart the argument into different claims and look at each claim individual. I was able to detect which ones were independent claims from the ones that were too vague to be independent. I was also able to differentiate the premises, subarguments, and conclusion from one another through this exercise. I got a better understanding of how arguments should be analyzed and what I need to look for and include in arguments.    

Argument in Outline Form

Week 3, Post 3

I found it interesting that simple, everyday arguments can be planned out and written. Something useful that caught my attention when I was reading Writing Lesson 3 in the chapter titled What is a Good Argument? was making a pros and cons list. It is challenging to come up with arguments even though it may happen on a daily basis. The pros and cons list allows me to see how I can improve and make my arguments stronger or how it can potentially make it weaker as well. While doing this exercise, it is not a necessity to make the argument sound "pretty" as the book says. Instead, write an argument that is reasonable and unambiguous. A weak argument usually is not supported well, therefore the premises and conclusion must be thought out thoroughly. Writing a page long full of arguments is difficult but with as long as the guidelines are followed, simple remarks can develop into useful arguments.

Strong vs. Valid Arguments

Week 3, Post 2

There is a difference between a strong argument and a valid argument. What makes an argument strong or valid is the conclusion; the conclusion needs to be supported by the premises. In the book, "Critical Thinking," Richard Epstein mentioned that both a strong and valid argument does not depend on:

1. Whether the premises are true.
2. Whether we know the premises are true.
3. Whether the person making the argument thinks the argument is valid or strong.

Popcorn is available at every movie theater my friends and I go to. Therefore, every movie theater serves popcorn.

Both the premise and the conclusion are true making this an example of a strong argument. Although there is a possibility that either or both the premise and the conclusion is false, it is slim when the argument is less questionable. The statements are specific which is more likely believed to be true.

 Popcorn is at the movie theaters. Therefore, every movie theater serves popcorn.

Even though the conclusion is the same conclusion as the example for the strong argument, the premise is slightly vague. Both the premise and the conclusion can be questioned whether it is true or false. The possibility of having a a false premise or conclusion is higher because it is not as detailed or supported. Because it is unlikely to be false, this is an example of a valid argument.

Test for an Argument

Week 3, Post 1

According to Richard Epstein, author of "Critical Thinking," a good argument must include a claim that is reasonable in order for the outcome to be true. In addition to that, he also mentioned that having a good argument must pass at least one of the three following consisting of:

1. The premises are plausible.
2. The premises are more plausible than the conclusion.
3. The argument is valid or strong.

Carlos loves rescuing animals
People with more than 30 pets rescue animals.
So, Carlos has more than 30 pets.

The argument, "Carlos loves rescuing animals" is possible therefore it is valid. Although the argument is valid because it is true granted test 3 it does not make a strong argument due to the second premise that violates test 1 and 2. The conclusion is true, however based on the second statement that is false the argument is no longer plausible.

If the second premise is changed to, "People with more than 30 pets usually like to rescue animals" then it would be considered a reasonable argument because it is not common that families own more than 30 pets. The claim states, "usually like" which makes the argument valid because it is possibly true. Changing the second premise passes the tests and not make the argument questionable.

Prescriptive Claims, Descriptive Claims, & Value Judgements

Week 2, Post 3

A prescriptive claim is more of a suggestion that something ought to be, or should be a certain way.

I know my parents want the absolute greatest things for me, whether it is materialistic items or education. so my parents constantly make suggestions like, "You should take summer classes because you don't want to lost the school mode" or "You don't want to get that shirt because after a couple of washes it will get ruined." These statements are examples of what prescription claims are.

A descriptive claim is a specific statement that depicts something actual.

Sentences like "San Jose State University is a college" and "Betty's hair color is strawberry blond" are considered a descriptive claims because what is said is actually true.

Value judgment is certain comments that are opinionated that can be considered prescriptive claims.

I think every individual make value judgments on a daily basis because our minds are constantly running with thoughts without acknowledging it. Certain comments such as, "IHOP serves the best pancakes" or "The worst color to wear is blue" are value judgment because words like "best" or "worst" are used.

Vague/ Ambiguous Sentence

Week 2, Post 2

Earlier today, a friend of mine stopped by my house to pick up some Chemistry material that I borrowed from him. He started telling me about his first semester at UC Berkeley and the cost of living in the dormitory is about $1,300 each month so he preferred to commute. He also mentioned that he works two jobs while going to school. Then he says, "Man, the commute everyday is so far." I just nodded my head but I did not know exactly what his definition of far was or where he was commuting to. My friend's remark is considered vague because he did not state a specific location nor did he tell me what he meant by far. Far could be 5 minutes away, more or less an hour away, he was unclear which leaves me clueless as to what "far" is to him. Far can also be interpreted by distance, how many miles or the number of steps it took him to walk. He tells me he commutes but was he traveling to school or to either of his jobs. My friend's statement is clearly ambiguous, it would have been helpful if he specified exactly where the far commute is. A broad statement like his only makes me ponder.