Define Types of Premises
Definitional Premise
Report about how a word is used
Example: A square is a quadrilateral with four equal sides and four right angles.
How can you confirm that someone is an expert in a particular field?
They have credentials! (Degrees, fellowships, awards, publications, positions, etc.)
My brother told me that he saw the sun explode.
Testimonial Premise (indirect, empirical)
Is the following in proper form?
1) If A, then B
2) A
Therefore,
3) B
Yes!
If we don't do something about this curriculum, they're gonna turn our kids into communists! Therefore, we need to have the curriculum changed.
Appeal to Fear
(Pity OKAY)
Direct Empirical Premise
A premise derived from the use of your own senses to acquire evidence.
Example: I saw three bicycles near fifth street.
Name the two types of bias. (Hint: Think secrecy!)
Transparent Bias
Hidden Bias
A book is a series of pages bound together on which information is printed.
Definitional Premise
Is the following argument inductive or deductive?
1) When there is frost on the lawn, the temperature dropped below freezing during the night.
2) There's frost on the lawn.
Therefore,
3) The temperature dropped below freezing during the night.
Deductive! General to specific AND has to be true if the premises are true.
74 million Americans agree that I'm the best candidate. That many people just can't be wrong!
Appeal to Popularity
Statement by an Expert
Statement by a person (or organization) who has specific knowledge in a particular field - also testimonial
Example: According to Bill Nye the Science Guy, the Earth has many geological layers.
What is the fallacy of inappropriate expertise?
Fallacy of inappropriate expertise: When an expert from the wrong field of knowledge is used to supposedly bolster a statement or argument.
Example: Tom Brady is the best quarterback of his generation, and he says that Hegel's German idealism is total nonsense.
I saw three deer in the garden.
Direct Empirical Premise (Nontestimonial)
Does the following have proper form, true premises, both, or neither?
1) All leaves are green
2) Green is a color
Therefore,
3) All leaves have color
Proper Form? YES
True Premises? NO. All leaves are not green.
Cindy says carrots are always orange. But she's also so mean-spirited. She's never nice to anyone. So I think she's probably wrong about that.
Ad Hominem (Latin for "to the person")
Testimonial Premise
Indirect Empirical Premise which relies on reports from others' senses.
Example: My friend Bilal says that the sky is clear today.
To pass the true premises test, a testimonial premise must be spoken by a ______ person and it must be _____ (make sense given background knowledge).
Reliable Person
Plausible
The barometer says the atmospheric pressure is lower than yesterday.
Indirect Empirical Premise (instrument)
Convert the following to standard form:
The sign says that nobody under 5"3' can ride. But I'm 5"6'!
1) Nobody whose height is less than 5"3' can ride.
2) I'm 5"6'
[3] 5"6' is greater than 5"3'
Therefore,
[4] I can ride.
Person 1: I love learning about other cultures!
Person 2: Oh, so you just want our culture to disappear? But it's given you so much! You're just ungrateful.
Easy Target (Straw Man)
Indirect Empirical Premise (Not Testimonial - the other kind)
An empirical statement relying on the use of instruments.
Example: According to this level, the beam is slightly lower on the right side.
Name 3 of the five criteria for assessing statements by experts.
1. Appropriate Credentials
2. Reliability
3. Lack of Bias
4. Statement Falls Within the Area of Expertise
5. Expert Consensus
Dr. Joseph K. Stein of the Intergalactic League of Planetary Bodies (ILPB) claims that Jupiter will be terraformed by the year 2150.
Statement by Expert (testimonial)
Even though it's false, this is the form it takes.
A subargument is an argument which gives reason to believe a premise in a main argument. So the subargument's conclusion will be a premise of the main argument.
Person 2: Uck! I hate taking pills. I can never get them down easily. I don't think I need vitamins.
Red Herring