PHILOS 106

The drawing of a conclusion about a target group based on an inadequate sample size is known as

Hasty generalization

The appeal to popularity is arguing that a claim must be true because

A substantial number of people believe it

An enumerative inductive argument can fail to be strong because

The sample is too small or not representative

Identify the fallacy committed in the following passage: Does acupuncture work? Can it cure disease? Of course. It has been used in China by folk practitioners for at least three thousand years.

Appeal to tradition

In an argument by analogy, the more relevant similarities there are between the things being compared, the more probable the

Conclusion

The probability that the sample will accurately represent the target group within the margin of error is called the

Confidence level

What is confirmation bias? How can critical thinkers counteract confirmation bias?

Confirmation bias is the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation as ones existing beliefs or theories. The answer for the second part is to seek out evidence that contradicts our own beliefs.

1) Is the following argument an enumerative induction, analogical induction, or causal argument? 2) Is it a strong or weak argument? Explain. A well-established moral principle is that one is morally justified in using deadly force in self-defense when one is threatened with death or great pain from an assailant. A disease such as terminal cancer can also threaten one with death or great pain. So suicide - a use of deadly force must sometimes be morally justified when it is an act of self-defense against an assailant (terminal disease) that threatens death or great pain.

1) Analogical Induction 2) Weak because there is no logic behind this and it does not make sense.

1) Is the following argument an enumerative induction, analogical induction, or causal argument? 2) Is it a strong or weak argument? Explain. Yesterday my astrological chart - prepared by a top astrologer - said that I would meet an attractive person today, and I did. Last week, it said I'd come into some money, and I did. (Jack paid me that hundred dollars he owed me.) Now I'm a believer. The stars really do rule.

1) Casual Argument. 2) I think that this argument is weak because it fails to rule out coincidence.

1) Explain what a euphemism is. Give an example (not one used in the textbook) of a euphemism. 2) Explain what a dysphemism is. Give an example (not one used in the textbook) of a dysphemism.

1) It is when you replacing blunt words with more polite and indirect words. Example: "The dog passed away" instead of "the dog died". 2. It is when you use a negative or offensive word instead of a pleasant one. Example: "He went to the correctional center" instead of "He went to prison".

1) Is the following argument an enumerative induction, analogical induction, or causal argument? 2) Is it a strong or weak argument? Explain. Judging from what I've seen, anti-war demonstrators are just a bunch of peaceniks left over from the Vietnam War era.

1. Enunerative Induction. 2. Weak because it has no logic and states that all anti war demonstrators are peaceniks

Under what three circumstances should we suspect that an expert may be biased?

1. When an expert is being paid by special interest 2. When an expert stands strong in a belief with no evidence 3. When an expert stands their position for financial gain

Identify the fallacy committed in the following passage: Atheistic philosophers have been trying for thousands of years to prove that there is no God, and they haven't succeeded yet. This shows that there is indeed a God after all.

Appeal to ignorance

Identify the fallacy committed in the following passage: That book didn't sell well at all, so it must be a lousy book.

Appeal to popularity

Identify the fallacy committed in the following passage: Civil rights legislation was furiously opposed by Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond - which proves that it was reasonable and moral.

Appeal to the person

Identify the fallacy committed in the following passage: All of us cannot be loved because all of us cannot be the focus of deep affection.

Begging the question

The attempt to establish the conclusion of an argument by using that conclusion as a premise is known as

Begging the question

According to the text, self-interest alone...

Cannot establish the truth of a claim

Identify the fallacy committed in the following passage: At conception an embryo is not a person. At birth, a baby is a person. There is no non-arbitrary way of determining exactly when the embryo became a person. Therefore, there is no moral difference between the embryo and the baby at birth.

Decision point fallacy

If a claim conflicts with our background information, we have good reason to:

Doubt it

The view that moral statements are not statements at all, but merely expressions of attitudes is called...

Emotivism

Identify the fallacy committed in the following passage: Aroldis Chapman is a good baseball player. I bet his goodness wins him a humanitarian award.

Equivocation

The view that what makes an action right is that it promotes one's own best interest is known as...

Ethical egoism

All inductive arguments are causal.

False

An enumerative induction has this pattern: Thing A has properties P1, P2, P3 plus the property P4. Thing B has properties P1, P2, and P3. Therefore, thing B probably has property P4.

False

Because of the guarantee of truth in the conclusion, inductively strong arguments are said to be truth-preserving.

False

Experts in one field can usually be regarded as experts in other fields also.

False

Good writers never combine their arguments with emotional appeals.

False

If you clearly state your beliefs on a subject, then you have presented an argument.

False

In national polling, samples need to be enormous to be accurate reflections of the larger target population.

False

Nonmoral statements assert that something is right or wrong, good or bad.

False

When the truth value of a sentence cannot be determined, such as for the sentence "God does not exist", then it cannot be a statement or claim.

False

Whether people are hypocritical regarding their claims is directly related to the truth of those claims.

False

Identify the implicit premise that will make the argument valid. If enough college students come out to vote, then Joe Biden will be elected president. Joe Biden will definitely win the election.

Implicit premise means the one that is implied based on what has been made explicit. Here the implicit premise is "Enough college students will come out to vote."

Identify the implicit premise that will make the argument strong. The show Westworld is probably going to lose a lot of fans. It's about to begin its third season after an unpopular second season.

Implicit premise means the one that is implied based on what has been made explicit. Here the implicit premise is "Fans usually don't watch the next season following an unpopular one."

Cultural relativism is the view that what makes an action right is that it...

Is approved by one's culture

In the following passage, add a moral premise to turn it into a valid moral argument. The Smiths were consenting adults who were having sex in the privacy of their own home. These actions by the Smiths are morally permissible.

It is not wrong for two consenting adults to engage in sexual activity in their own home. You have added a moral premise, but not one that makes it a valid argument.

In the following passage, add a moral premise to turn it into a valid moral argument. Americans spend money on things like the latest iPhones, tickets to Avenger movies, and pumpkin spiced lattes. This was seen all over the United States over the the last weekend. Anyone who spends money on luxury goods beyond what they need has money they could be donating to charities that will use it to save children's lives who would otherwise die. Americans should donate money to charities that will save children's lives.

It is the right to do by donating to charity if you have excess money to spend on unnecessary luxury goods.

A deductive argument is intended to provide

Logically conclusive support for its conclusion

Using the given sentence as the first premise, fill out the rest of the argument to make it valid in two ways: 1) modus ponens 2) modus tollens If it offers a major in philosophy, then College of the Canyons is the best school in California.

Modus ponens: If it offers a major in philosophy, then COC is the best school in California. COC offers a major in philosophy. Therefore, COC is the best school in California. Modus Tollens: If it offers a major in philosophy, then College of the Canyons is the best school in California. It is not the best school in California. Therefore, COC does not offer a philosophy major.

For the following argument, identify the premises (list them as P1, P2, P3...) and the conclusion: If men in clown suits show up to the party and they get a bit too rowdy, then the neighbors will either come over or call the police. The neighbors did not either come over or call the police. So, it is not true that the men in clown suits showed up to the party and got a bit too rowdy.

P1: If men in clown suits show up to the party and they get a bit too rowdy, then the neighbors will either come over or call the police. P2: The neighbors did not either come over or call the police. C: It is not true that the men in clown suits showed up to the party and got a bit too rowdy.

For the following argument, identify the premises (list them as P1, P2, P3...) and the conclusion: Children's movies seem to have it in for mothers. This is proven by all the various examples over the years. Nemo's mother died, leaving him to be raised by his father and another woman. Ariel was raised by King Triton. Lilo's mother was dead too. Cinderella, Snow White, Fly Away Home—the examples go on and on. Do we need to say more?

P1: This is proven by all the various examples over the years. P2: Nemo's mother died, leaving him to be raised by his father and another woman. P3: Ariel was raised by King Triton. P4: Lilo's mother was dead too. P5: Cinderella, Snow White, Fly Away Home—the examples go on and on. C: Children's movies seem to have it in for mothers.

The fallacy of reasoning that just because B followed A, A must have caused B is known as

Post hoc, ergo propter hoc

In a standard moral argument, it is not possible to establish the conclusion (a moral statement) without a moral...

Premise

An argument is a group of statements in which some of them, known as the _________ are intended to support another of them, known as the_________

Premises;conclusion

When a claim is neither worthy of outright rejection nor deserving of complete acceptance, we should:

Proportion our belief to the evidence

Which of the following is not a statement:

Read the story and write a complete review of it.

The use of nonargumentative, emotive words and phrases to persuade or influence an audience is known as

Rhetoric

Identify the fallacy committed in the following passage: Judges should not hand down anything but maximum sentences for all convicted criminals. If you start making exceptions, prosecutors will start asking for lighter sentences. Next thing you know, every criminal will be getting off with mere warnings.

Slippery slope

Identify the fallacy committed in the following passage: Children were asked to recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day and to include the phrase "under God". That was dead wrong. No child should have to submit to such brainwashing.

Straw man

For the following inductive argument, indicate its conclusion, then determine whether it is strong or weak. You flunked the last three tests. You didn't show up for the last eight classes. And you haven't written any of the essays. Looks like you don't know the material.

The conclusion here is the last sentence, "It looks like you don't know the material." This argument is strong as the assumed truth of the premises make the conclusion probable.

For the following deductive argument, indicate its conclusion, then determine whether it is valid or invalid. Anyone who posts on Instagram more than twenty times a day is someone who is starving for attention. Kanye West, Taylor Swift, and Kylie Jenner all post more than twenty times a day. This must mean that Kanye West, Taylor Swift and Kylie Jenner are people who are starving for attention.

The conclusion is the last sentence and it is valid as the assumed truth of the premises guarantees the truth of the conclusion.

For the following inductive argument, indicate its conclusion, then determine whether it is strong or weak. My parents say getting a degree in philosophy will get you nowhere. On top of that there are hardly any philosophy majors at school, and the ones that are there look like they're lost in thought. Besides that, Donald Trump never studied philosophy and he's the president. All this means majoring in philosophy would be useless.

The conclusion is, "All this means majoring in philosophy would be useless." This argument is weak as the assumed truth of the premises still do not make the conclusion probable.

For the following deductive argument, indicate its conclusion, then determine whether it is valid or invalid. If you're eighteen, you're eligible to vote. But you're only seventeen. You're not eligible to vote.

The conclusion is, "You're not eligible to vote." This argument is invalid as it is the formal fallacy of denying the antecedent.

What is the fallacy of appeal to authority? Describe a possible example of how someone might commit the fallacy.

The fallacy here occurs when we consider someone to be an expert in the field when they have no expertise in that field. The teacher might be an expert in the field.

Using the given sentence as the first premise, fill out the rest of the argument as a hypothetical syllogism to make it valid. If the Dodgers beat the Astros, then they will win the World Series.

The hypothetical syllogism is: If the Dodgers beat the Astros, then they will win the World Series. If they win the World Series, then A. (here you can put in whatever you like) Therefore, if the Dodgers beat the Astros, then A.

1) Is the following argument an enumerative induction, analogical induction, or causal argument? 2) Is it a strong or weak argument? Explain. The cause of Jackie M's criminal behavior - his involvement in petty theft and assaults - is no mystery. Jackie commits most of his criminal acts when the temperatures are highest. When outdoor temperatures are lowest, he behaves himself. In fact, the incidence of his criminal behavior rises as the temperature rises. Jackie's problem is that he has a heat-sensitive personality.

This is a causal argument, it is weak as it seems to misidentify relevant factors.

State 1) the name of the following argument's pattern and 2) whether it is valid or invalid: "Either p or q. Not p. Therefore, q."

This is a disjunctive syllogism and it is valid.

Specify whether the following statement is moral or nonmoral. The East Bay rapist deserves to be executed for the crimes he committed.

This is a moral statement as it makes a moral judgement,

1) Is the following argument an enumerative induction, analogical induction, or causal argument? 2) Is it a strong or weak argument? Explain. The casinos in Atlantic City have brought a tremendous amount of revenue into both area businesses and local government, without inviting the evils of organized crime and causing the degradation of law and order or quality of life. The same can be said for the Turning Stone casino in Upstate New York, as well as for Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls, Canada. A casino built in Buffalo, New York, will provide all the benefits without the disadvantages.

This is an analogical induction, however, it is strong as there are many relevant similarities and among the multiple cases being compared.

Determine whether the following is an argument or not. If it is, identify the conclusion. If it is not, explain why. We are intelligent beings: intelligent beings cannot have been formed by a crude, blind, insensible being: there is certainly some difference between the ideas of Newton and the dung of a mule. Newton's intelligence, therefore, came from another intelligence.

This is an argument as the premises are intended to make the case for the conclusion that Newton's intelligence came from another intelligence. The conclusion indicator word "therefore" helps to indicate it intending to be a conclusion in an argument.

Determine whether the following is an argument or not. If it is, identify the conclusion. If it is not, explain why. There is no doubt that the house is haunted because it has been there for over a hundred years, it's really spooky, and even John - who is normally very brave - refuses to go anywhere near the house.

This is an argument as the premises are intended to support the conclusion that the house is haunted.

1) Is the following argument an enumerative induction, analogical induction, or causal argument? 2) Is it a strong or weak argument? Explain. Four out of five of the college's English majors hate anything written by William Faulkner. So most students at this college hate anything written by William Faulkner.

This is an enumerative induction, it is weak. The target group is the students at the college and the sample group is only English majors. It is not representative enough.

Determine whether the following is an argument or not. If it is, identify the conclusion. If it is not, explain why. Abortion is wrong. I have always believed that and always will. Those who favor abortion on demand are just plain wrong. In fact, those who favor any kind of abortion for any reason are wrong. They may be sincere in their beliefs, and they may have the Supreme court on their side, but they're still advocating an immoral act.

This is not an argument, there is no conclusion that is being supported by premises, it is merely a statement of beliefs.

Determine whether the following is an argument or not. If it is, identify the conclusion. If it is not, explain why. I believe that it is not dying that people are afraid of. Something else, something more unsettling and more tragic than dying frightens us. We are afraid of never having lived, of coming to the end of our days with the sense that we were never really alive, that we never figured out what life was for.

This is not an argument, there is no conclusion that is being supported by premises, it is merely a statement of beliefs.

According to the text, if the theories that make up our worldview are inconsistent with one another, there is something wrong with our worldview.

True

According to utilitarianism, if two actions produce exactly the same amount of net overall happiness, both actions are equally as moral.

True

In a moral argument, we cannot infer what should be or ought to be (in the conclusion) merely from statements about what is.

True

In enumerative induction we begin with observations about some members of the group and end with a generalization about all of them.

True

Moral arguments differ from nonmoral ones in that their conclusions are moral statements.

True

The fallacy of composition is thinking that the characteristics of the parts are somehow transferred to the whole.

True

What we perceive and remember is to some degree fabricated by our minds.

True

A deductively valid argument cannot haveTrue premises and a false conclusion

True premises and a false conclusion

A set of beliefs and theories that help us make sense of a wide range of issues in life is known as a...

Worldview

In the following passage, add a moral premise to turn it into a valid moral argument. The supplement manufacturers knew that the herb ephedra was dangerous. Therefore, they should have removed it from the market.

Your Answer: It is wrong to sell products that cause harm.

a) According to the text, in most fields, what are the two minimal prerequisites for being considered an expert? b) Beyond the minimal prerequisites, what are two more telling indicators that someone is an expert?

a) 1. education and training from reputable institution or program. 2. Experience in making reliable judgement in the field b) Reputation among peers and professional accomplishments.

Answer each part: a) According to the text, how might selective attention affect your thinking when you are examining evidence for or against a claim? b) As a critical thinker how might one attempt to combat this tendency? c) Why is it important to attempt to do?

a).Selective attention affects our thinking by unconsciously ignoring things while noticing others. When examining evidence for or against a claim we may ignore ideas that go against our own belief and only seek out evidence that supports the truth of our beliefs. b). As a critical thinker, one can combat this tendency by making a conscious effort to look for opposing evidence and not make a judgement until one has carefully considered all the relevant reasons. c). Without considering all of the evidence, it is easy to be misled and make decisions that are based on biases and prejudices.

What is the connection between availability error and hasty generalization?

availability error can lead to hasty generalization

What are two ways that people resist contrary evidence?

deny and ignore

What are two factors that can give us good reason to doubt the reliability of personal experience?

impairment and expectation

Specify whether the following statement is moral or nonmoral. The Church is a place for people of similar moral values to gather and reflect on their duties.

nonmoral