Mission Critical

This week our teacher assigned our class to look at two websites. One of the websites we looked at was called the Mission Critical Website. In this website it goes over the basics and breaks them down into five main points. The 5 main points are: the parts of an argument, basic relations, analysis of arguments, fallacies and non-rational persuasion, and other common fallacies. Of the five I think the one that was most important and interesting was the fallacies and non-rational persuasion. Fallacies and non-rational persuasion discussed the appeals such as the emotional appeals like fear, pity, spite, loyalty, prejudice, and vanity. It also talked about the misdirected appeals like the appeal to authority and common belief. The appeal to authority is when we feel we need someone or something to help us prove our point and give us credibility like a book or specialist. The appeal to common belief is when statements of common belief is stated a fact but may not be so such as Audi makes cars much better then Dodge because more people I talked to think so. Audi could make better cars but it can’t be proven by people’s opinions. Overall I really enjoyed this website and will reference later.

Universal Syllogism

This week we learned about many concepts in the websites and the readings, one concept I found that was important was Universal Syllogism. The concept of universal syllogism is made up of claims that are universal or universal claims. The first claim is the major premise that describes the entire group. The second claim is the minor premise and places the third group (Mission Critical Website). An example of this concept

If all jellybeans in the bag are juicy pear
Then a jellybean I pick out will be juicy pear

Or

If all the jellybeans are in the bag is juicy pear
If I have a jellybean that is not juicy pear then it’s not from the bag

The concept was a bit confusing at first but after the website gave some examples and went more in-depth into the concept it became easier to understand. This concept is very interesting and I will defiantly try to use it in later arguments and discussion.

Introduction to Causal Arguments

This week we visited two website to learn more about arguments. One of these websites was called the Introduction to casual arguments. In this website it discusses the concept of casual reasoning. Casual reasoning is similar to the idea of Cause and Effect, or when something of importance occurs and then something else happens because of it.
An example of this concept is

A man walks in and sees a woman.

The woman then sees the man.

They meet and start to talk.

The website also talks about the key points of Casual Reasoning such as how likely a case of causation can seem to be, also how acceptable or demonstrable the implied comparisons are, and how credible the significant commonality or significant difference claims are. This web site had a lot of information that helped me though it may have been confusing at times overall it was a website that I will reference at later times.

Casual Reasoning

There are many types of reasoning and one that I particularly liked and found interesting was Causal Reasoning. I found this reasoning particularly interesting because of all the people who use it and the fact that I use it everyday. Everyday we see people using this reasoning especially on television and radio. A example I recently saw on TV was this show on ESPN talking about Kobe Bryant and how he is so good in games and makes impossible shots so they reasoned that in practices he shoots those shots a lot so he can make them in the game. I also often use casual reasoning and not even know that I do, such as when I wake up late I know that I wont have time to eat breakfast before my first class so I reason that I will be hungry during my first class. Casual reasoning is used everyday by everyone and thanks to this class now we can see it, hear it, recognize it, and use it in our everyday statements and arguments.

Reasoning by Analogy

There are many types of reasoning from reasoning from examples to reasoning from sign to even casual reasoning. The reasoning that I found the most troubling to understand was the concept of reasoning by analogy. Reasoning by analogy is the concept of taking a analogy like Andrew likes video games and plays video games and reasoning that if Brad likes video games then Brad will play video games. This concept gets more confusing when you are arguing it because you can say that Brad is not Andrew so he wont play video games. Brad is his own person so just because Andrew likes games and plays games does not mean Brad will play games. You may also argue that since both Brad and Andrew like games they can play games together making it so that they play games together not separate so if Andrew likes and plays games then Brad likes games he will play them with Andrew. Both of these statements are contrary to each other but can be true based on the analogy making explaining the concept very in-depth.

Examples of Reasoning

There are many different kinds of reasoning. In this post I will discuss the different kinds of reasoning and examples of each different type

Casual Reasoning
Premise 1:I came late to work
Premise 2:I didn’t have time to shave
Conclusion: I had large bread at work

Reasoning by criteria
My brother wants something fast and expensive for his birthday. I should get him a car.

Deductive
Premise 1: There are many cars to buy on this lot
Premise 2: There are Lamborghinis on the lot
Conclusion: Lamborghinis are one of the cars to buy on the lot

Inductive
Premise 1: Every Saturday cartoons come on the television
Premise 2: Today is Saturday
Conclusion: Today cartoons are coming on.

Reasoning by Example:
You should work out with me, my friend works out everyday and he is ripped

Reasoning by Analogy:
Andrew likes video games and plays video games
Brad likes video games
Brad will play video games

Sign Reasoning:
When its raining outside, it must be wet outside.

Appealing to Spite

There are many types of Appealing to emotion. One of the types that the book talked about was appealing to spite. Appealing to spite is when you make two wrongs into a right! This is a complicated principal because it involves making to actions that are both wrong and making them cancel out just so to make the actions equal or right. Though this could be a fallacy at times sometimes this concept can be used in an argument or in real life. An example of the appeal to spite concept would be.

Boy: Dad can I buy a motorcycle

Dad: No you cant it’s to dangerous I am already going to buy a new car for myself, and your get nothing

Boy: Well to Bad for you I just spent all the money on a gambling trip to Vegas

The boy and the father both did wrong things that eventually ended up with two wrongs that eventually canceled each other. We see this concept happen everyday with our overseas relations and military reactions, as well as with movies where a bad guy kills someone and the hero has to get revenge and kill him to make everything even again.

Apple Polishing

There are many way to manipulate an argument one of them would be apple polishing. Apple polishing is when your flattering or sucking up to the audience to get them to buy your product or side of the argument. With apple polishing you are appealing to the emotions of happiness, vanity, and maybe even insecurity to get the audience to believe that your side of the argument or your product will help or improve on your already well off life. An example of this would be like in the Dodge Charger commercial shown during the Super Bowl where they say all the things men do but don’t want to. The ad says all the things that men do and at the end say because men do all these things they deserve to drive the car they want which is the Dodge Charger. They used apple polishing to say in that ad “you do all these things shouldn’t you drive the car you want?” which flatters you and appeals your happiness and vanity to say “yeah I do, do a lot of things I don’t want I should be able to drive this car.” This ad used apple polishing very well convincing the viewer in a unique and fun way to get this car because they deserve it.

address to the ad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RyPamyWotM

Appeal to Emotion

Emotions are major factors in an argument. Our emotions affect the way we argument by affecting our points of view and choices in our word we use in the argument. Appeal to Emotion in an argument is the concept of appealing to ones emotions such as anger, sadness, happiness, vanity, ignorance, and even flattery. You can appeal to these emotions to make your point or improve your argument. An example of a argument that involves a appeal to a emotion like sympathy would be “I wanted to recycle every bottle I saw after watching the movie Ocean and seeing all the pollution that the animals in the sea have to deal with.” An example of an organization appealing to emotions would be when an organization uses sympathy to bring attention to there cause such as M.A.D.D or the American Red Cross they appeal to the emotion of sympathy to bring attention to there cause and prove their arguments. Emotions can be a powerful tool to use in a argument, by using emotions you can show your audience your views and how you feel about those views.