ch. 8 Reasoning

Question 1

what is rhetorical proof?

Answer 1

proof established through interaction btw the speaker and the listeners; provides support for a conclusion but not assurance that is true.

Question 2

what are the components of proof?

Answer 2

• claim
• supporting material
• reasoning

Question 3

what is a claim?

Answer 3

a statement that a speaker asks listeners to accept and that the speaker tries to prove

Question 4

what is the supporting material

Answer 4

evidence

Question 5

in terms of reasoning, what is inference?

Answer 5

a mental leap from the supporting material to the claim

Question 6

what are the different types of reasoning?

Answer 6

• example
• analogy
• signs
• cause
• testimony
• narrative

Question 7

what is example?

Answer 7

specific instances used to illustrate a more general claim

Question 8

what is analogy?

Answer 8

a comparison of people, places, things, events, or more abstract relationships

Question 9

what are signs?

Answer 9

something that stands for something else

Question 10

what is cause?

Answer 10

a person or thing that gives rise to an action, phenomenon or condition

Question 11

what is testimony?

Answer 11

relying on other people for the accuracy of supporting materials.

Question 12

what is narrative?

Answer 12

using reasoning to talk about hypothetical, real, or fictional events

Question 13

what are the 4 tests for inference for example?

Answer 13

1) are there enough examples?
2) do the examples represent the whole category?
3) are the examples ambiguous?
4) are the examples fallacious?

Question 14

what is a fallacy?

Answer 14

an inference that appears to be sound but that, on inspection, contains a significant flaw

Question 15

what is the fallacy of composition?

Answer 15

assuming that what is true of the part is automatically true of the whole

Question 16

what are the 2 tests for inference of analogy?

Answer 16

1) are there basic differences as well as similarities?

2) do the differences outweigh the similarities?

Question 17

what are the 3 tests for inference of signs?

Answer 17

1) is an alternative explanation more credible?
2) can the alleged sign be found without the thing for which it stands?
3) Is the sign part of a pattern, or a single unusual case?

Question 18

what are the 5 tests for inference of cause?

Answer 18

1) has a sign relationship been confused with a casual relationship?
2) does a common cause of both factors make it seem that they have a cause-effect relationship?
3) is there a post hoc fallacy?
4) have important multiple causes or multiple effects been overlooked?
5) is there a likely alternative cause?

Question 19

what is common cause fallacy?

Answer 19

assuming that one thing causes another when in fact a third factor really is the cause of both

Question 20

what is post hoc fallacy?

Answer 20

assuming that, bc one event occured before another, the first is necessarily the cause of the second

Question 21

what are the 5 tests of inference for testimony?

Answer 21

1) does the statement accurately reflect the source’s views?
2) is the source an expert on the topic?
3) is there a basis for the source’s statements?
4) is the source reasonably unbiased?
5) is the testimony up to date?

Question 22

what is pontificate?

Answer 22

to offer judgments without providing any basis for them

Question 23

what are the 4 tests for inference for narrative?

Answer 23

1) is the narrative?
2) is the narrative plausible?
3) are characterizations consistent?
4) does the narrative have resonance?