Kim: She must like all rodents.
Minji: Why is that?
Kim: Because she likes hamsters.
Minji shouldn't dismiss the reasoning just because the link from premises to conclusion is missing. She should ask what's needed to make it strong by the Principle of Rational Discussion. We can't make this valid by saying that "she likes all rodents" because hamsters are just one species of several types of rodents. An obvious premise that can also be added is "All rodents are hamsters." We all know that this is false (guinea pigs, mice, rats) and can assume that Kim does, to, since he knows about the subject.
In that case, we have to try to make the argument valid. From there, we can see whether that claim is plausible to the other person.
It's possible that the premise is true, but the conclusion is false. Though there is no connection between the two in this example, we know that our conclusion (She must like all rodents) can be false, invalid, and weak.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Advertising on the Internet
I decided on talking about Sensa, a weight-loss system that was designed to work with your sense of smell to trigger "fullness." All you do is sprinkle this sort of powder on top of your food before you eat it, and it apparently makes you eat less.
To start off... Really? Just sprinkle some random concoction on your food and it will automatically make you feel full faster? Just like the full bar, which you eat half an hour before your meal itself, therefore making you eat less of your meal? Come on, people!
The website says that you don't need to do anything, just use this product and you will lose weight. I don't think this is valid or strong, though, because the studies that were done were clinical. There is no research to back it up, and the subjects were tested, but not in a controlled environment. And this "trigger" that makes you feel full faster is, in my honest opinion, just something to psychologically trick you into thinking so, therefore the fullness actually happens.
My little brother actually tried this product, and it didn't work. For all we know, it could just be a sign telling us just how much he really eats so it doesn't affect him. Another reason can be that he thought about trying it, but wasn't so hyped up about the powder helping him feel more satiated.
If I think, therefore I am.
To start off... Really? Just sprinkle some random concoction on your food and it will automatically make you feel full faster? Just like the full bar, which you eat half an hour before your meal itself, therefore making you eat less of your meal? Come on, people!
The website says that you don't need to do anything, just use this product and you will lose weight. I don't think this is valid or strong, though, because the studies that were done were clinical. There is no research to back it up, and the subjects were tested, but not in a controlled environment. And this "trigger" that makes you feel full faster is, in my honest opinion, just something to psychologically trick you into thinking so, therefore the fullness actually happens.
My little brother actually tried this product, and it didn't work. For all we know, it could just be a sign telling us just how much he really eats so it doesn't affect him. Another reason can be that he thought about trying it, but wasn't so hyped up about the powder helping him feel more satiated.
If I think, therefore I am.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Addressing Sexual Harassment
According to Title V11 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, sexual harassment is a form of discrimination.
When an employee makes a complaint of experiencing sexual harassment in any way, it is extremely serious. The employer has a legal, ethical, and employee relations obligation to thoroughly investigate the charges. Not only that, it is their responsibility to find out per quid pro quo. Also, the damage to the organization is much greater than that of the dollar losses of court cases. If the employee feels unsafe, he/she will feel anxiety, lack of trust, fear, and other such problems that come up when harassment is an issue. As such, an employer’s actions can send powerful signals about what another employee can expect in similar circumstances.
It is because of this that each organization should have policies on these three;
1. General harassment
2. Sexual harassment
3. How harassment investigations are conducted
When an employee makes a complaint of experiencing sexual harassment in any way, it is extremely serious. The employer has a legal, ethical, and employee relations obligation to thoroughly investigate the charges. Not only that, it is their responsibility to find out per quid pro quo. Also, the damage to the organization is much greater than that of the dollar losses of court cases. If the employee feels unsafe, he/she will feel anxiety, lack of trust, fear, and other such problems that come up when harassment is an issue. As such, an employer’s actions can send powerful signals about what another employee can expect in similar circumstances.
It is because of this that each organization should have policies on these three;
1. General harassment
2. Sexual harassment
3. How harassment investigations are conducted
Content Fallacies
As stated in the book, the content fallacy on appealing to emotion is “you should believe or do ___ because you feel ___.” To be put simply, it is using your feelings or beliefs to convince you to do or believe in something that you maybe would not normally think or do otherwise. Instead of facts, you are persuaded by your emotions. It is typically because of this that the argument would not work.
For example, the teen angst of telling someone how you feel. “You should ask him to the dance since you like him.” In those days, it was so easy for kids to push others to say or do this or that. There are a couple of things that can be wrong with that. One would be if you want to go to the dance in the first place. The other would be if you even like the guy enough, or at all, to want to spend that kind of time with him.
For example, the teen angst of telling someone how you feel. “You should ask him to the dance since you like him.” In those days, it was so easy for kids to push others to say or do this or that. There are a couple of things that can be wrong with that. One would be if you want to go to the dance in the first place. The other would be if you even like the guy enough, or at all, to want to spend that kind of time with him.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Structure of Arguments Exercise #1
(1)My neighbor should be forced to get rid of all the cars in his yard.
(2)People do not like living next door to such a mess.
(3)He never drives any of them.
(4)They all look old and beat up and leak oil all over the place.
(5)It is bad for the neighborhood, and it will decrease property values.
Argument?
Yes, this is an argument. Sentences 2-5 are claims to the argument that the neighbor should get rid of all his cars.
Conclusion:
The neighbor should be forced to get rid of all his cars.
Additional premises needed?
The property values will decrease because my neighbor owns old beat up cars that leak oil all over the place in his yard.
Identify any subargument:
2 and 4 support 5, while 3 supports 1. 2-5 also supports 1.
Good argument?
No, it wasn't.
This question was a little challenging, but it all comes down to one thing, which is that neighbor's opinion. Everyone has their own opinion. Though it seems like this neighbor was letting his cars collect in his yard, it wasn't like the sight was that distasteful that it was such an eyesore.
(2)People do not like living next door to such a mess.
(3)He never drives any of them.
(4)They all look old and beat up and leak oil all over the place.
(5)It is bad for the neighborhood, and it will decrease property values.
Argument?
Yes, this is an argument. Sentences 2-5 are claims to the argument that the neighbor should get rid of all his cars.
Conclusion:
The neighbor should be forced to get rid of all his cars.
Additional premises needed?
The property values will decrease because my neighbor owns old beat up cars that leak oil all over the place in his yard.
Identify any subargument:
2 and 4 support 5, while 3 supports 1. 2-5 also supports 1.
Good argument?
No, it wasn't.
This question was a little challenging, but it all comes down to one thing, which is that neighbor's opinion. Everyone has their own opinion. Though it seems like this neighbor was letting his cars collect in his yard, it wasn't like the sight was that distasteful that it was such an eyesore.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Discussion Q #2
Vague example; I am also a foodie.
I know that for most people, they would wonder how a sentence like this would be vague. I was having a conversation with a new friend the other day, and this person had claimed that he is a foodie. It made me excited because I myself claim that I am one as well. I realized this statement was vague to him when I discovered that this guy only meant that he loved food, not that he knew much about it. We had gone to eat Thai food for lunch, and thinking that he was a foodie, I began to talk about the food we were eating (i.e.: breaking down the ingredients, flavors, etc.) and he was looking at me as if I was crazy. I was a bit dumbfounded by his reaction until he asked why I was doing that. Oh, the blasphemy! This guy lost his brownie points.
I know that for most people, they would wonder how a sentence like this would be vague. I was having a conversation with a new friend the other day, and this person had claimed that he is a foodie. It made me excited because I myself claim that I am one as well. I realized this statement was vague to him when I discovered that this guy only meant that he loved food, not that he knew much about it. We had gone to eat Thai food for lunch, and thinking that he was a foodie, I began to talk about the food we were eating (i.e.: breaking down the ingredients, flavors, etc.) and he was looking at me as if I was crazy. I was a bit dumbfounded by his reaction until he asked why I was doing that. Oh, the blasphemy! This guy lost his brownie points.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Discussion Q #1
Subjective claim;
What is right and wrong depends on the individual and their beliefs. Whether it is actually true or not is not a factor.
Subjective example;
I had a brief talk with my coworker the other day about the movie "No Strings Attached," and how much my older brother loves it. He loved it so much that he admitted it made him "feel fuzzy on the inside." My coworker, however, did not enjoy the movie at all. He felt that it was not funny and that all the characters were either one sided or inconsistent. This guy talked about his dislike so passionately that it actually made me feel quite awkward; it almost felt like we were talking about some kind of controversy. Just because one person loves a movie, it doesn't mean that the next person will feel the same.
Objective claim;
A claim that is actually true or false dependent on logical facts.
Objective example;
A new thing I noticed that The Cheesecake Factory is doing is providing its patrons with nutritional information on their menu items; this also includes the name tags on the dessert displays. It is a no brainer to say that their black-out cake is extremely high in calories. At over 1,500 calories for a single slice, this cake is a force to be reckoned with. When a single serving of this cake contains almost as much calories as a person should consume in a day, I don't think anybody can argue about whether this is subjective or objective.
What is right and wrong depends on the individual and their beliefs. Whether it is actually true or not is not a factor.
Subjective example;
I had a brief talk with my coworker the other day about the movie "No Strings Attached," and how much my older brother loves it. He loved it so much that he admitted it made him "feel fuzzy on the inside." My coworker, however, did not enjoy the movie at all. He felt that it was not funny and that all the characters were either one sided or inconsistent. This guy talked about his dislike so passionately that it actually made me feel quite awkward; it almost felt like we were talking about some kind of controversy. Just because one person loves a movie, it doesn't mean that the next person will feel the same.
Objective claim;
A claim that is actually true or false dependent on logical facts.
Objective example;
A new thing I noticed that The Cheesecake Factory is doing is providing its patrons with nutritional information on their menu items; this also includes the name tags on the dessert displays. It is a no brainer to say that their black-out cake is extremely high in calories. At over 1,500 calories for a single slice, this cake is a force to be reckoned with. When a single serving of this cake contains almost as much calories as a person should consume in a day, I don't think anybody can argue about whether this is subjective or objective.
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