Arguements In Action

Question 1

What is a statement?

Answer 1

A sentence that holds truth value.

Question 2

Indication words for a premise

Answer 2

Because, also, furthermore…

Question 3

Indication words for a conclusion

Answer 3

Therefore, overall, so…

Question 4

What’s a serial arguement diagram?

Answer 4

P1 -> P2 -> C
Each individual arguement leads to a conclusion which can be another premise for another conclusion.

Question 5

What’s a convergent arguement diagram?

Answer 5

P1 P2
[ _ ]
C
Each premise can independently support the conclusion.

Question 6

Whats a linked argument diagram?

Answer 6

P1 + P2
____[]____
C

The two premises need to be argued together to form the conclusion.

Question 7

What’s a complexed arguement?

Answer 7

An arguement that may combine the elements of convergent, serial and linked arguements. For example:

P2 + P3
_____[]_____
P1
[]
C

Question 8

What is a universal claim?

Answer 8

An arguement that applies to everything of a certain topic e.g. all dogs have tails

Question 9

What’s a counter example?

Answer 9

An arguement that disproves a universal claim e.g. all dogs have tails except for my dog who doesn’t have one.

Question 10

What’s a valid arguement?

Answer 10

One that has good structure in the premises and conclusion.

Question 11

Whats a sound arguement?

Answer 11

An arguement that holds a great truth value

Question 12

What’s a deductive arguement?

Answer 12

A universal claim in which the premises leads to a specific conclusion e.g.
P1 - All dogs have tails
P2 - Baxter has a tail
P3 - Therefore, Baxter is a dog.

Question 13

What’s an inductive arguement?

Answer 13

A specific claim in which the premises lead to a general conclusion e.g.
P1 - The monkeys I saw at the zoo were orange.
P2 - The monkeys were orangutans.
C - Therefore, all orangutans are orange.

Question 14

What’s a conductive arguement?

Answer 14

Each premise individually strengthens the conclusion, similar to a convergent arguement. E.g.
C - School sucks!
P1 - You get too much homework
P2 - The teachers are really strict
P3 - The lunch food tastes awful
P4 - Break time is only 10 minutes

Question 15

What are formal fallacies?

Answer 15

Fallacies to do with the arguements structure.

Question 16

What are informal fallacies?

Answer 16

Fallacies to do with the soundness of the arguement.

Question 17

What’s the formal fallacy of ambiguity?

Answer 17

When a single word or sentence could have two different meanings e.g. The turkey is cold! Cold as in a live turkey shivering or a dead refrigerated turkey?

Question 18

What’s the formal fallacy of an analogies?

Answer 18

When the two things that are compared to each other have major dissimilarities despite the few similarities.

Question 19

What’s a disanalogy?

Answer 19

When the two things that are compared have major similarities but also major disimilarities e.g., the Watchmaker Analogy - one major similarity is the watch and the universe is complexed, but a major dissimilarity is that the watch is artificial and the universe is natural.

Question 20

What is affirming the consequent?

Answer 20

“If P, then Q”
Q
:. P

Question 21

What is denying the antecedent?

Answer 21

“If P, then Q”
Not P
:. Not Q

Question 22

What’s Ad Hominem?

Answer 22

When you make a personal attack on the arguer e.g. “Shut up you’re an idiot!”

Question 23

What’s Circumstantial Ad Hominem?

Answer 23

When you attack the person’s circumstances, such as politics, ethnic background, religion, etc.
E.g., “I don’t think Catholics should be allowed an opinion on abortion when only their religion requires them to oppose it.”

Logical term: person 1 is claiming ‘x’. Person 1 has vested interest in ‘x’ being true, therefore ‘x’ is false.

Question 24

What is Tu Quo Que Ad Hominem?

Answer 24

Attack on person by focusing on past words or actions instead of the truth of their current claims.
E g., “Homelessness should be taken care of!”
“But you ignored a homeless beggar a few months ago?”

Logical term: Person 1 is claiming ‘y’ is true, but acting on ‘y’ isn’t true. Therefore, ‘y’ must not be true.

Question 25

What is confirmation bias?

Answer 25

When there are justifications, but they’re not necessarily true. The information has been biased or mispercieved in order to favour one’s own arguement.

Question 26

What is a fallacy?

Answer 26

A common error in reasoning.

Question 27

What’s an illegitimate appeal to authority?

Answer 27

When the arguer of the topic is making claims that aren’t from professionals of that topic/the arguer themselves aren’t a professional on the topic.

Question 28

A legitimate appeal to authority is:

Answer 28

• free of significant bias
• has a reputation of being reliable
• have sufficient expertise in a particular subject
  Examples are scientists and medical workers.

Question 29

What is a slippery slope?

Answer 29

When someone argues one thing will inevitably lead to another, causing a chain of events with insufficient evidence. The first event can be rejected given the final event is unacceptable because its illogical.

Question 30

What are appeals to emotion?

Answer 30

When a person uses manipulation over reason to win an arguement by arousing emotions from an individual to gain acceptance of their conclusion.
E.g., “There’s kids starving in Africa! Finish your food and be grateful!”

Question 31

What is Post Hoc, Ergo, Propter Hoc?

Answer 31

After this, therefore, relating to this.
This is an informal fallacy. You’re falsely assuming that because some event followed the other, that must mean it was caused by the first event.

Question 32

What is a deductively valid arguement?

Answer 32

When it has premises that are sufficient to prove the conclusion.

Question 33

What is inductive strength?

Answer 33

When no matter how strong the arguement is, the conclusion can never be guaranteed in the same way that it is with deductive arguements.