Understanding How to Check Validity with Diagrams

Chapter 8 discusses diagrams and how to check for validity. I think this is an important aspect of the chapter to understand in order to really understand the rest of the information provided in this part of the textbook. This is a summary of how to check the validity of an argument with a diagram: enclosed areas are used as representation of collections (collections is another word for a population), if this enclosed area is completely inside another enclosed area then that collection is also apart of another collection. But if only a portion of the enclosed areas is within another closed area (overlapping in some portion) then that just means that there is a similarity between the two collections. Further if two collects aren’t overlapping in any way then there is nothing similar or in common with the two collections. When looking at a diagram and seeing an “a” or dot followed by for example a persons name that means they are apart of that particular collection (this could also be an object of some sort doesn’t just have to be a person). Diagrams helpful in using to determine the validity of an argument because you can visually see what the words are stating.

Usefulness of Critical Thinking of a Social Organization

I found the second major class assignment of Critical Thinking of a Social Organization to be very helpful both professionally and academically. My group chose to analyze the ASPCA and their social issue. Because I personally am an animal lover and advocate I find myself easily influenced and persuaded by the social issue of ending animal cruelty, which is the social issue of the ASPCA. What this assignment taught is to be away of the different methods used by organizations to influence and persuade others and also evaluate the credibility of the source and their motivation for making the claims they do before simply just accepting the claim. What I learned from this assignment will not only help me evaluate the sources I use in research papers, and other assignments, but also help me in my professional career which will hopefully be in public relations. It will help me in P.R. by helping create messages for clients that aren’t using fallacy in a bad to inform and persuade the target audience.

Vague Generalities

Often times we use vague terms such as all or some to describe a collection in some portion such as the entire collection or a part of the collection. We use these vague terms so that we do not have to specify the exact number we are talking about. Because often times we really do not know the exact number we are referring to. There are a number of words used to specify quantity but only all or some are considered to have enough precision to make valid arguments. Even though the words all and some can be considered ambiguous we can still determine if the argument is valid or not. If the premises give the receiver of the argument good reason to believe the conclusion even though there is no follow up exceptions the argument is usually considered strong. An personal example I have this type of argument is from my work. Almost all of the nail technicians at the day spa speak Vietnamese. Lieu is a nail technician at the day spa. So Lieu speaks Vietnamese. This is considered to be a strong argument because it is the direct way of reasoning with almost all, instead of arguing backwards. Arguing backwards with the same example would look like: Almost all of the nail technicians at the day spa speak Vietnamese. Lieu speaks Vietnamese. So Lieu is a nail technician at the day spa. Just because Lieu speaks Vietnamese does not make her a nail technician. This is arguing backwards and is considered usually weak.

Bad Appeals to Authority

Under common mistakes in evaluating premises the topic of appeals to authority is discussed specifically bad appeals to authority, which is defined by the textbook as its usually a mistake to accept a claim as true solely because a lot of other people believe it. I think this is an important part of evaluating premises because you need to be aware of whom you believe and why you believe them. It is important to ask yourself does this person have authority on this subject, or are they just reporting information they have heard somewhere else. For example, let’s take this blog post and myself, do I have authority on common mistakes in evaluating premises or am I just relaying information that I have heard somewhere else? Obviously I am not an expert. I am only a student with a textbook. The true expert would be the person who wrote this textbook, so it would be wise to take what information I am writing into consideration and then double check it with what the textbook has to say on bad appeals to authority.

Advertising on the Internet

The advertisement I found on the homepage of Yahoo! is an ad for Victoria’s Secret. The advertisement is for Victoria’s Secret’s 7 new bras and new line I Love My Body by Victoria. The concepts that we read about in Chapter 5 are about accepting, rejecting or suspending judgment on a claim and this information can be applied to the above advertisement. There are both written messages and implied messages the ad is trying for the target audience to receive. Let’s start with the written messages, I Love My Body by Victoria (I accept this claim because from my own knowledge Victoria is the designer who stared the company, so it is safe to say she is the designer). Experience the 7 Bras can also be accepted because from what you can see with your own eyes there are seven different models each with a different bra on, so yes there are indeed seven bras that you can purchase. Now let’s look at the non-written messages that are implied, if you get one of these bras you will look as sexy as the model wearing it does. This message (claim) can either be accepted, rejected or suspended depending on your knowledge. You better than anyone else knows how your body looks (because of personal experience trying different ones on). For me personally I could reject this claim because I know that I am not 90 pounds nor 5’11, so no I wouldn’t look like the models, but then again that doesn’t mean I still wouldn’t look sexy in the bra. So personally I would suspend judgment because I would neither reject nor accept the unwritten claim Victoria’s Secret makes. From this advertisement it is easy for me to understand how it is important to trust what you already know from you experiences and knowledge. And since from my experience Yahoo! is a reputable and reliable source I can even further trust this ad beyond my knowledge of Victoria's Secret.

Repairs

Here is my example of an argument that needs to be repaired in some way:
No horse barks. So Cash does not bark.
Here is my analysis of the argument I stated above:
The only premise that needs to be added to the argument in order to make it a strong or valid argument is, “Cash is a horse.” If this sentence is added the argument becomes a good argument, since the proposed added sentence is a true premise.
Another premise “Cash nays” would not be added to the argument. Even though it is a true statement, and one that can be determined as obvious to the person making the argument, by adding it the argument does not become stronger or valid. It would violate the first rule of The Guide to Repairing Arguments.
What I noted from this particular example, is that it is important to be careful what premises you add to an argument to repair it; just because it is true does not make it a premise that improves the argument.