Violating the Principle of Rational Discussion

#1

Everyone in America is required to have a drivers license.

Therefore, everyone in America has a drivers license.

Of course it is very important that everyone in America is required to have a drivers license. But there are in fact a lot of people in America, including myself who does not have a drivers license. Therefore the argument is weak because it is ignoring the fact that there are other types of transportation that America provides for us. Not everyone enjoys driving, some people are actually afraid to drive an actual car. Everyone has their own opinions on driving and some people would rather not drive because of a money issue and of course a personal issue. We cannot just assume that everyone in America is required to get their drivers license. This argument would be good if it stated that not everyone in America is required to have a drivers license, but that it is an option of transportation that people may have.

what i found interesting...

#3

I found the first part of Chapter 4 on the “Group Communication” book an interesting topic that was discussed because it goes over the need for effective communication in organizations. The author stated that, “Perhaps you belong to religious organizations, political organizations, civic organizations, fraternal organizations, and/or business organizations.” I found it interesting because there are so many different types of organizations that exist today, and there are probably more that was not mentioned. I am currently part of a sorority, and I found this very interesting for me to read because I got to learn how all of these organizations communicate with each other. 

fallacies

#2

Strawman

It’s easier to knock down someone’s argument if you misrepresent it, putting words in the other person’s mouth.

 In my own words..

Knocking down someone’s argument is very easy because all you have to simply do is represent it in the wrong way by saying something that the person has never even said before.

 

In real life I have actually heard someone use the strawman fallacy. For example, I happened to be the one to use it because I have once tried to knock down my classmate’s argument about something in class in high school one day. In my religion class back in high school the class consisted of a lot of debates and personal opinions on different topics, because of course it was a religion class and any discussions that pertain to religious activities will never be non-argumentative.

When I was in class we were arguing on whether or not there is a heaven that actually exists in real life and whether or not we all go to heaven after we die. When my classmate commented on my opinion that heaven really does not exist, I argued back and said that she did not know what heaven was anyways or what it meant. However, she really never said any of those things in the first place. All she really said was that she does not believe that heaven exists. 

Complex arguments for analysis

Question #1

#2. I’m on my way to school. I left five minutes late. Traffic is heavy. Therefore, I’ll be late for class. So I might as well stop and get breakfast.

Argument? Yes

Conclusion: The fact that he/she is on the way to school should be eliminated.

Additional premises needed? You can say something like I woke up a little too late to leave early for school.

Identify any subargument: 2, 3, and 4 support all independent and support the conclusion.

Good argument? All of the premises used in the argument seem to be plausible, but at the same time I do not think that this is a good argument. Anyone can be late for school for any reason so it is too vague to be used as an argument.

 

I thought that this exercise was useful because it can be very helpful for me when I am trying to distinguish if certain arguments are bad or good. Also the exercise can help me easily identify whether something is an argument or not. I will definitely use this exercise for more practice.

what i found useful

question #3

         I found plausible claims and implausible claims to be useful because a plausible claim means that we have a good reason to believe that the claim is true. If the claim is less plausible then we do not really have a reason to believe that the claim is true. This would mean that the claim is implausible.

         Epstein states in the book that in Chapter 5 we will go more into plausible claims and implausible claims. I just found it useful for me because he is introducing the topic early on so that I know what is ahead of the textbook for me and my other classmates to read. Another thing that I found useful with plausible claims and implausible claims was “begging the question”. Begging the question is brought up with the two claims. Begging the question means when the argument begs the question on whether or not any of its premises is no more plausible than the conclusion. I found this to be useful as well because I can actually relate to it in real life and I have used it in everyday life. 

valid arguments versus strong arguments

question #2

A valid argument is when a claim contains premises of an argument to provide different grounds for the truth of he conclusion that is to be made. Therefore the claim in the argument will either be accurate or not accurate at all. So if the argument is correct then it is a valid argument. Strong arguments can also be seen as inductive arguments in other words. This means that the conclusion will more likely be true since the premises must always give support to the arguments.

An example of a valid argument that I have recently heard was something that my boyfriend told me. He said, “If I went took a semester off of school, then I would be able to make more money. It’s not the case that I will make more money, but I will be behind with school. Therefore I should not take a semester off.” This is a valid argument because it proves that even if my boyfriend does take a semester off of college you will make more money but in the long run my boyfriend will be behind with school. An example of a strong argument that I have heard the other day is, “If you are not nervous you will do good with your new job. You will be able to learn easily if you pay attention. Therefore you will do good with your new job if you are able to learn easily if you pay attention.” I chose this as a perfect example of a strong argument because the premises give a lot of support to the arguments.

The tests for an argument to be good

question #1

The three tests for an argument to be good are whether the premises are plausible, if the premises are more plausible than the conclusion, and whether or not the argument is valid or strong. So I came up with an example stating that, “All babies have hair, all babies have blonde hair, therefore all babies have hair that is blonde.

         The premises in the argument are plausible because usually babies who are first born seem to grow their hair and have hair right away. However, the premises in the argument are more plausible than the conclusion. The reason for this is because yes all babies will grow hair right away but not every baby is going to grow to have blonde hair. Some babies of different races can have brown, black, and blonde hair depending on what their hair color heredity is. The argument is valid but it is not strong. Yes, babies have hair, but not all babies can have hair right away. It usually takes some time for them to grow hair. Along with that all babies will not have blonde hair because not every single baby in this world will have blonde hair, unless their parents dye it right after birth, which I doubt would actually happen.

good definitions

#3

In order to have or make a good definition everything should be clear so that the people reading it can understand what exactly the word or action means. One of the key points in having a successful definition is looking for different examples so that you have different ideas to make the definition. It is always important to look at different examples because as discussed in the other question, you never want to have a sentence or advertisement too vague. By having plenty of examples you can have a broader definition and other people reading it will be satisfied with the fact that the definition was interesting. A definition should also include words that actually make sense, and to have it apply clearly to each sentence rather than using random words that do not even go with the topic. Overall, I do not think that it is difficult at all to make a good definition, but mainly you just need to make it clear and understandable. 

vague sentences

#2

A vague sentence is when a sentence is unclear and most of the time it just goes straight to the point, rather then describing or wording it out better. Vague sentences tend to be common for many people. Sometimes we do not even realize or notice that we are using vague sentences in our essays, or when we are speaking to other people. When I went to the grocery store with my mom she was asking me what I really wanted to buy for school. I replied to her by saying, “I want bread.” After thinking it over I realized that the statement that I said to my mom was too vague. She told me that she did not understand what exactly I meant. She was not sure of what kind of bread I wanted for school. My reply to my mom qualifies as a vague sentence because I didn’t specify whether or not I wanted, wheat bread, white bread, sourdough, etc.

question #1

subjective and objective claims

A subjective claim is meant to say whether something is true or false, and it depends on what someone thinks, believes, and feels. A subjective claim refers to personal standards. An objective claim is only objective if it is not subjective, and an objective claim refers to impersonal standards. When I was a family party for my niece’s birthday my cousins and I were talking about what size we are in pants. My younger cousin Cheena and I were trying to predict each other’s pants size while I told her, “Cheena you’re a size 2 in jeans.” This is an objective claim because it is a statement that I can prove since I already know what the size of her waist looks. Last night I was eating at a Thai restaurant with my friend and she decided to order fish, and I ordered chicken. I told her that I think, “chicken is considered to taste a lot better than fish.” This is a subjective claim because it is a matter of my opinion and there are no standards or methods that could prove whether if it is true or false.