Cause and Effect

As usual the section that I want to write about is the criteria for cause and effect. I always like the criteria section most because it allows us a tool for confirming the true issue we are dealing with. In this case we have six different necessities for a cause and effect. My favorite of these six is, “The cause makes a difference – if the cause had not happened (been true), the effect would not have happened (been true).” (p. 307) This is easy enough to understand, as it is the premise for the style. If I had not left forgotten to push the parking brake on my car when I parked on a hill, then the car would not have rolled into another car farther down the hill. One thing had to happen for the other to have happened. The text also says, “Checking that the cause makes a difference is how we make sure we haven’t overlooked another possible cause.” (p. 305)

Mission Critical

The mission critical site is a great resource. It clearly lays out the parts of an argument, and ways to analyze them. It also covers the variety of fallacies and emotional appeals. I think I enjoyed the emotional appeals section the most as this is something that I have seen many people struggle with understanding the differences. The site explains the difference between fear, pity, spite, loyalty, produce, and vanity. It also has an exercise for almost every explanation. This is great for people like me who want to cement what I have read in a practice. Often I will read something and it goes in and comes out without sticking, but when we get to practice it in real life scenarios the important parts seem to stay with me. All in all it is a great tool when trying to understand the varying components of arguments, and I would recommend saving it as a favorite for future classes.

Mission Critical

I found the Mission Critical website to be very helpful. It clearly defines and outlines the structure for arguments based on causation. I especially liked the example of the bicyclist and the car accident as it shows the complexity of various situations. We know that the world is intermingled, and that what I do may affect those around me without my ever knowing it. The site says, “These causal arguments, then, follow the form of an inductive argument with one important exception: whereas an inductive argument carries as part of its second premise the implication that there is otherwise no significant difference, these causal arguments carry the implication that there is only one significant difference: for the bicyclist, the truck; for the first driver, the bicycle; for the second driver, the first car.” From this we can easily see how our casual arguments are more self-focused, and inductive arguments look deeper at the root of the issue.

Evaluating an Analogy

One of the things that I learned about from this chapter was how best to judge analogies. I loved the seven steps that we are given to evaluate each example. As I walk through most analogies I can find some reason to pick it apart, but I would guess that is mainly due to my argumentative and critical personality. I constantly look at what people say and do to determine if they match up. Of the seven questions my favorite would have to be, “Can we state the similarities as premises and find a general principle that covers the two sides?” (p. 5) This is great because it looks critically at the ability for the analogy to hold truth. There are always at least two sides to every argument, and the analogy should be able to cover both. This is a great rubric as we often hear people try to reason with analogies.

Reasoning by Analogy

Not sure if I found this the most difficult to understand, but reasoning by analogy is something that I think many people do incorrectly. The basic concept of this type of reasoning is, “Since it was O.K. there, it should be O.K. here. This situation is like that one. Since we concluded here, we can conclude there. That’s arguing by analogy.” (p. 253)

I found a website that explains the variations and usage parameters in a very clear and methodical way. One of the things I enjoyed about it was the use of a chart. Sometimes word problems are not as clear, but the chart allows for easy comparison, and from that we can argue by analogy. The site says, “Comparing oranges with bananas, we find once again that these two fruits are similar in only two of the categories that we examined (i.e., they are both peelable without the aid of a knife and they both have inedible skin). Finally, comparing apples to bananas reveals only one similar characteristic between these two fruits: neither belongs to the "citrus" family.”


http://www4.samford.edu/schools/netlaw/dh2/logic/analogy.htm

Various Ways to Reason

1). Reasoning by Analogy
Premise 1: I have a job that pays me and therefore I have to pay taxes.
Premise 2: My neighbor has a job that pays him.
Conclusion: My neighbor has to pay taxes.

2). Sign Reasoning
Premise 1: I was hiking in Big Sur last year and came across a steaming water hole.
Conclusion: I immediately undressed so I cold soak in the hot water.

3). Causal Reasoning
Premise 1: My wife and I attended a wedding this weekend.
Premise 2: I drank more gin and tonics from the open bar than I can remember, while my wife drank water.
Premise 3: I don’t remember anything after diner, but my wife does.
Conclusion: I must have become drunk.

4). Reasoning by Criteria
Premise 1: That woman must be pregnant. Doesn’t she look like she’s carrying a baby?
Conclusion: She is glowing.

5). Reasoning by Example
Premise 1: Getting your bachelors degree is a great idea.
Conclusion: I have a friend who lost his job recently, and no one will offer him another without a bachelors.

6). Inductive
Premise 1: The ocean ebbs and flows with the tides every day.
Conclusion: The ocean will ebb and flow with the tides tomorrow.

7). Deductive
Premise 1: Everyone in my house has Sageant as a last name.
Premise 2: Graham lives in my house.
Conclusion: Graham’s last name is Sargeant

Perscriptive Conclusion

In chapter 10 we read, “An appeal to emotion in an argument with a prescriptive conclusion can be good or can be bad. Being alert to the use of emotion helps clarify the kinds of premises needed in such an argument, so we can more easily analyze it.” (p. 194) I though this was a great point in terms of understating the value to looking for emotion in an argument. It also helps us to see that the use of emotion is not always good or bad. The text also says, “each is an attempt to convince someone that he or she should do something.” (p. 194) I suppose this speaks to the core of an argument, and the various appeals to emotion are tools that we can use in our attempts to sway opinion. Emotion is a powerful tool, but one must be careful as not all people react in the same ways.

Exercise 3 on Page 195

I chose to look at the third exercise on page 195. The question is, “Find an advertisement that uses an appeal to fear. Is it a good argument?” (p. 195) The advertisement that I found is targeted towards parents with children that have been diagnosed with ADHD or ADD. The add starts off by noting that the child’s homework is late again, and then the teacher calls again, and finally the parent starts crying. They are afraid that if they don’t do something then their child will continue to have trouble in school, and in life. The picture on the screen is of a single backpack on a chair in an empty school room. I think this is an effective argument in so much as I would be afraid of what the future holds for both my child and myself without help. Those that have experience ADHD or ADD can understand the impossible nature of the affliction.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/27813/fear_appeal_messages_and_their_effectiveness.html?cat=70

Appeal to Emotion

Appealing to emotion is a common trend here in the United States. We often hear advertisements, see signs, and hear people talk about how we should do something, and they try to encourage our participation through an emotional response. There are various ways to appeal to our emotions such as through pity, fear, spite, and calling in our debts. I think that the appeal through fear is the one that interests me most. I find that all to often people make decisions based on fear, and I will admit that this saddens me. When I was growing up we went to t a church that required us to confess our sins every week. If we didn’t cleanse our soul then we might not make it into heaven. So, the argument is fairly simple. Do the right thing, give money to the church, and confess your sins or you will be condemned to a life in hell. Not a great way to think about things at 6 years old.