Chapers 4-8

Question 1

When are premises relevant?

Answer 1

when they provide some sort of support for the conclusion

• this is the second criterion for sound arguments

Question 2

Define a fallacy

Answer 2

an error or weakness in an argument that detracts from its soundness, but is disguised so that It may look like the conclusion is supported

Question 3

what is the fallacies approach?

Answer 3

an approach to the theory of argument assessment that proceeds mainly by atttempting to describe the main types of fallacious argument - the common mistakes one must guard against.

Question 4

What is the Criterial approach?

Answer 4

an approach to the theory of argument assessment that proceeds mainly by examination of the standards that a good argument must meet

Question 5

When are premises ADEQUATE?

Answer 5

when the support they give is strong enough for the purposes of the argument. this is the third criterion for a sound argument

Question 6

when are premises ACCEPTABLE?

Answer 6

when they can reasonably be treated as true. thisis the first criterion for sound arguments

Question 7

what are the three criterion for sound arguments?

Answer 7

1) acceptabliltiy
2) relevance
3) adequacy

Question 8

What is a verified truth claim?

Answer 8

a truth claim that has been shown to be true

Question 9

Define: verification

Answer 9

the process of determining whether a truth-claim is true

Question 10

what are universal empirical statements?

Answer 10

an unrestricted general statement abut a class of things as the truth-value of which depends on experience; it asserts something is about an entire class..

e.g., all ravens are black

Question 11

Undetrmined truth-claim

Answer 11

A truth-claim that has been neither shown to be true nor shown to be false

Question 12

what is strict proof?

Answer 12

the most stringent standard of acceptability that can be made for a claim because the possibility of error has been eliminated (either in its use of empirical evidence or its support in a theorem)

Question 13

What is a statistical empirical statement?

Answer 13

A qualified general statement the truth value of which depends on experience; it asserts something about a proportion of a class of things

Question 14

what is the pragmatic theory of truth?

Answer 14

A theory that holds that the truth of a statement consists of the fact that it leads to the successful solution of a real problem

Question 15

what is inconsistency?

Answer 15

the fallacy committed by an argument when it contains, implicitily or explicitly, a contraction usually between two premises.

Question 16

What is a general empirical statement?

Answer 16

a statement the truth-value of which depends on experience and concerns a wide range of particulars within the same class.

Question 17

What are foundational principles?

Answer 17

statements that underlie a practice or a body of knowledge, such as the law of causality in science, which cannot be doubted without undermining everything else associated with that practice or body of knowledge. `

Question 18

What is a falsified truth claim?

Answer 18

a truth claim that has been shown to be false

Question 19

What is a false dichotomy?

Answer 19

the fallacy committed by an argument when a premise presents us with a choice between two alternatives and assumes that they are exhaustive or exclusive or both, when in fact they are not.

Question 20

What are exhaustive alternatives?

Answer 20

alternatives that cover all possibilities

Question 21

what are exclusive alternatives?

Answer 21

Alternatives that cannot both (or all) be true: when one is true the others must be false.

Question 22

What is equivocation?

Answer 22

the fallacy committed by an argument when a premise has two interpretation, one acceptable and one unacceptable, and when it is the unacceptable interpretation that is required by the conclusion

Question 23

What is an empirical statement?

Answer 23

A statement that asserts an empirical fact or set of empirical facts

Question 24

what is an empirical fact?

Answer 24

a fact that is observable in principle - that is, if one were in the right place at the right time, under the right conditions.

Question 25

What is the correspondence theory of truth?

Answer 25

a theory that holds the truth of a statement is correspondent to a fact
- does well with empirical statements

Question 26

what is coherence theory of truth

Answer 26

a theory that holds that a particular statement is true when it is part of a coherent set mutually supporting statements

Question 27

What is begs the question

Answer 27

the fallacy committed by an argument when its premises presuppose, directly or indirectly, the truth of its conclusion.

Question 28

What is Tu Quoque

Answer 28

A fallacious argument which attempts to show that a criticism directed at the speaker is irrelevant by claiming that the accuser is open to the same criticism. Latin for “you too”

Question 29

What is straw man?

Answer 29

a fallacious argument that irrelevantly attacks a position that appears similar to, but is actually different from, an opponents position, and concluded that the opponents real position has thereby been refuted.

Question 30

What is Non sequitur (I don’t think we need to know this)

Answer 30

an argument with irrelevant premises

Question 31

What is appeal to popularity

Answer 31

a fallacious argument that substitutes an irrelevant attempt to base a claim’s acceptability on the fact that it is widely believed

Question 32

what is appeal to pity?

Answer 32

a fallacious argument which substitutes an irrelevant attempt to elicit pity or sympathy for the presentation of genuine evidence for the conclusion

Question 33

what is appeal to force?

Answer 33

a fallacious argument which substitutes an irrelevant threat of force or other kind of pressure for genuine evidence of the conclusion

Question 34

what is appeal to authority?

Answer 34

a fallacious argument which cites the irrelevant testimony of someone who is not a reliable authority on the matter at issue

Question 35

what is ad hominem?

Answer 35

a fallacious argument that substitutes irrelevant information discrediting the author of a statement for genuine evidence that the statement Is false

Question 36

What is slippery slope?

Answer 36

a fallacious argument which attempts to justify a negative assessment of a policy by appealing to a chain of consequences, each one causing the next, ending with an undesirable result. this is fallacious when it is not likely that the policy will really result in this outcome.

Question 37

what is appeal to ignorance?

Answer 37

a fallacious argument which appeals to the fact that there is no evidence fo the claim, to show that it is false.