Do you remember The appeals 5 Reasoning from

Do you remember: • The appeals? (5) • Reasoning from wrong actions? (2) • Unwarranted generalisations? (2) • Causal flaw or unwarranted assumption of a causal relationship? (3)

Today we will look at more flaws: • Slippery Slope • Circular Argument • Confusing necessary with sufficient conditions • Attacking the arguer • Straw person • Conflation • Arguing from one thing to another • Restricting options/ False dichotomy

Tests • • • Hypothetical reasoning Inconsistency Principle 1 point – 1 line approximately Go to the vle download the mark scheme, identify any problems and email me or ask me in class

Slippery Slope Reasons from one possibility, through a series of events that are not properly or logically linked, to an extreme consequence • If I don’t do my homework, I’ll fail my class, end up unemployed and die in the gutter. So, I’d better do my Homework. • Now do exercise 1

Circular Argument • You’ve got brown eyes because your eyes are brown. An argument in which one of the reasons is the same as the conclusion or an argument in which you need to assume that the conclusion is right in order for the reason to make sense Now do exercise 2

Confusing necessary with sufficient conditions • Necessary = absolutely essential If my pet is a dog then my pet must be a mammal. • Sufficient = of a quantity that can fulfil a need or requirement but without being abundant Being convicted of murder is a sufficient condition to stay in prison. • Jamal is really talented. He is an extremely fast runner. He’s bound to run at the sprint races for the Olympics. An argument that assumes that a necessary condition is also sufficient, or that assumes that a sufficient condition must also be necessary Do exercise 3 in pairs

Attacking the arguer / Ad hominem • We can’t accept Dr Jones’ point of view about hereditary aspects of criminal behaviour. Look at her – she’s a blonde woman. Now do activity 4 A form of reasoning that dismisses an opposing view, by attacking the person putting forward the view rather than by addressing their reasoning.

Straw man/ Straw person This flaw misrepresents or distorts an opposing view in order to dismiss it. • Situation: The school won’t let the SU organise a Christmas party in college. They ay there are no teachers to supervise it and there are building works going on. • SU rep: The school want let us have a party because they just don’t want us to have fun. This is unfair. We should refuse to go to lessons.

Bringing together 2 or more different concepts and treating them as the same thing. • Obesity is a growing problem in western societies. The increasing number of obese people is causing tremendous problems for health provision and insurance. If we want to avoid an obesity crisis we must encourage these people to get fit. • Do Exercise 5 Conflation

Arguing from one thing to another • A survey indicated that 11% of graduates in employment were working in sales and marketing. This clearly indicates that supermarket checkouts will soon all be operated by graduates. So it is not worth getting a degree. • Now do Exercise 6 A form of reasoning which uses a reason about one thing to support a conclusion about something different

Restricted options/ choices • Argument:

• Do activities 32 and 33 • Let’s have fun : You Tube and Flaws