Exam Reason & Logic

Question 1

Proposition

Answer 1

• statement that is true or false
• example - statement that is always true: The earth is spinning
• example - statement that is always false: I am dead

Question 2

Laws of identity

Answer 2

• X is X
• things cannot have multiple identities
• a thing has to be a thing and nothing else
• “an apple is an apple”

Question 3

Laws of non-contradiction

Answer 3

• Something cannot be true and false at the same time in the same way
• cannot be both

Question 4

Laws of excluded middle

Answer 4

• something has to be either true or false
• cannot be sort of be true or false
• has to be one

Question 5

Ockham’s razor

Answer 5

• it is likely that the simplest answer is true
• in coming up with a solution do not include unnecessary entities
• simplest does not mean not complex

Question 6

Principle of Sufficient Reason/Principle of Charity

Answer 6

everything has a cause

Question 7

Inductive Argument

Answer 7

Probably true if the premises are true

Question 8

Deductive Argument

Answer 8

Always true if the premises are true

Question 9

Bacon’s Four Idols of the Mind

Answer 9

1. idols of the tribe
2. idols of the cave
3. idols of the marketplace
4. idols of the theatre

Question 10

arguer Fallacy: Ad Hominem

Answer 10

• attacking the arguer and not the argument
• Used when somebody insults the person instead of confronting the argument at hand

Question 11

arguer Fallacy: Tradition (Argumentum ex Antiquitatem)

Answer 11

• We should continue to do this thing because we have always done so
• We should never/stop to this thing because we have always done so

Question 12

Arguer Fallacy: Motive

Answer 12

• Tries to point out the motivation of the speaker
• usually done in a guilting way because they are trying to argue their side for a benefit for themselves
• Pointing out biases

Question 13

Arguer Fallacy: Bandwagon (Argumentum ad Populum)

Answer 13

everybody is doing/thinking/saying it so therefore it must be just

Question 14

Arguer Fallacy: Straw Man

Answer 14

• opposite of steelmanning
• Rewording and highlighting the weaknesses of their arguments for dismissal

Question 15

Arguer Fallacy: Appeal to Pity (Argumentum ad Misericordiam)

Answer 15

• When you try to convince someone you are correct by getting them to feel sorry for you
• Trying to make somebody feel bad for you so they will agree

Question 16

Arguer Fallacy: Appeal to Authority (Argumentum ad Verecundiam)

Answer 16

• When somebody has a position of authority in a field but stepping out of that field to pretend to be an expert in another
• Someone is able to convince people or something because they have authority or expertise in a different field
• Could be true but their argument should not fall back on the speaker’s expertise in another field

Question 17

Argument Fallacy: Appeal to Ignorance

Answer 17

• If there is no evidence for the truth of something it must be false
• there is no evidence for the falsehood of this so it must be true

Question 18

Argument Fallacy: Appeal to Circular Reasoning

Answer 18

When you end with the beginning or began with the end

Question 19

Argument Fallacy: Equivocation

Answer 19

• Misinterpreting a word (purposefully/accidentally) being used when the speaker’s intentions were different
• anytime a phrase is misinterpreted
• make two things equal when they are not

Question 20

Argument Fallacy: Loaded Term/Language

Answer 20

• Loaded language that has possible negative or positive bent
• non-loaded language is neutral that has synonyms to be loaded

Question 21

Argument Fallacy: Slippery Slope

Answer 21

• your argument can be used to justify something else unfairly
• causal projection
• when you take something that is true and try to make an untrue conclusion

Question 22

Relationships Fallacy: Accident

Answer 22

• occurs when you apply a rule to every situation without accepting an exception
• Exceptions are sometimes okay
• there are exceptions to rule
• opposite is hasty generalization

Question 23

Relationships Fallacy: Hasty Generalization (converse accident)

Answer 23

• This rule is applied here so it should be applied across the board
• works for one situation but n0t for all
• making something widespread too quickly

Question 24

Relationships Fallacy: Composition

Answer 24

• means putting something together
• occurs when you take the feature of all the parts of something and you apply it to the whole
• it is true about this part so therefore it is true to the whole
• the tires are rubber so the whole car is rubber

Question 25

Relationships Fallacy: Decomposition

Answer 25

• The opposite of composition
• takes a feature of the whole and applies it to all the parts
• everyone must be liberal in canada

Question 26

Venn Diagrams

Answer 26

used to determine the validity of particular arguments and conclusions

Question 27

Categorical Syllogisms

Answer 27

a deductive argument consisting of three categorical propositions (two premises and a conclusion)

Question 28

Idols of the Tribe

Answer 28

made the false assumption that our most natural and basic sense of thing was the correct one

Question 29

Idols of the Cave

Answer 29

Biases based on your very small circle

Question 30

Idols of the Marketplace

Answer 30

• Biases based on language.
• The use of language to make you believe something that may or may not be true

Question 31

Idols of the theatre

Answer 31

Biases that come from uncritically accepted systems of thought

Question 32

Steelmanning

Answer 32

• when rewording somebody’s point as honestly and faithfully to gain understanding
• principle of charity: act of steelmanning