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QUESTION
Title: critical thinking
Assignment
- (10 marks) Consider the following statements A and B. I want you to use those statements as the conclusions of distinct arguments. The statements express two alternatives. Select one of the alternatives and, following the Principle of Charity, construct an argument with relevant premises in support of that alternative. Considering the argument you made, construct a counterargument with the other alternative as the conclusion. Construct your argument and counterargument such that the counterargument is the one you consider to be more convincing.
A - “A university education is a privilege rather than a right.”
B - “A university education is a right rather than a privilege.”
- (10 marks) Recall these five informal fallacies from Ch. 3 in our course text: Appeal to Pity, Appeal to Flattery, Appeal to Popularity, Appeal to Tradition, and Appeal to Novelty. You must construct four separate arguments containing all of these fallacies. Each argument must have the conclusion “You should purchase the textbook for this course.” Three of your arguments should each display one of the five fallacies mentioned above. The fourth argument should display a combination of the two fallacies that you haven’t already displayed in any of your first three arguments. Keep all of your arguments short and concise – you should use no more than 2 or 3 premises in each argument. Title each argument by the fallacy, or fallacies, it contains.
- 6. (10 marks) Consider the following argument and the three reconstructions of the argument. Which of the three reconstructions is the best reconstruction of the argument? Explain why the reconstruction you picked is the best. (1 paragraph)
The Argument
Reliance on abortion as a means of birth control will cheapen the Canadian social commitment to protecting life. It should be banned except when the mother’s life is in danger.
Reconstruction #1
P – If reliance on abortion as a means of birth control will cheapen the Canadian social commitment to protecting life, then it should be banned except when the mother’s life is in danger.
P – Reliance on abortion as a means of birth control will cheapen the Canadian social commitment to protecting life.
C – Abortion should be banned except when the mother’s life is in danger.
Reconstruction #2
P – Anything that cheapens the Canadian social commitment to protecting life should be banned.
P – Abortion as a means of birth control cheapens the Canadian social commitment to protecting life.
C – Abortion should be banned.
Reconstruction #3
P – Anything that cheapens the Canadian social commitment to protecting life should be banned.
P – Except when the mother’s life is in danger, abortion cheapens the Canadian social commitment to protecting life.
C – Abortion should be banned except when the mother’s life is in danger.
| Subject | Psychology | Pages | 4 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Critical Thinking
Question 4
Adhering to the Principles of Charity, which espouse the need to reconstruct other people argument in strongest terms possible without losing meaning, the argument are herein.
Argument A which views university education as a privilege and not a right is true when you carryout in depth analysis on the background of those student that make it to University. If most of the students from wealthy backgrounds form the majority pursuing university education compared to those from poor background, then this education becomes a privilege as opposed to a right. Furthermore, if the laws of a country have not succinctly provided University education as a right, then it can only be a privilege as those with the capabilities can attain it.
However, I concur with argument B that indeed university education is a right and not privilege in the sense that, if the laws have been put in place for student to access to education, then it becomes a right. The fact that an individual does not have the means of getting to university is not a denial of the right. Rights as long as are in existence, it does not mean that they have to be met because of various reasons such as lack of interest. A right cautions someone from a certain action and, therefore, does not deter anyone from participating in something of interest. Therefore, it is because of the right that people from all works of life and background get admitted to pursue university education.
Question 5
Appeal to pity
Do not inform my manager that I was the one who broke the windowpane because he will hurl insults and lay me off.
Conclusion: Informing the manager about the person behind broken window will attract harsh penalty
Appeal to flattery
My father lived in United States and never lacked money. Life in the United States is easy compared to our country.
Conclusion: Individuals that reside in United States have money and enjoy life
Appeal to popularity
Have you ever attended any wild beast migration season? It is magnificent as millions of spectators’ line up to view billion wild beast migrates from Serengeti to Maasai Mara national Park.
Conclusion: Wild beast migration attracts millions of visitors across the world
Appeal to tradition and Appeal to novelty
Since people have believed in existence of a supernatural being for thousands of years, the end is not here yet; it is now time for people to explore other new opportunities such as going to live in other planets that support life.
Conclusion: People need to place their hopes in their own explorations because for years, they have believed in God but the end of the world has never come.
Question 6
Out of these three reconstructions of the argument concerning abortion, the best reconstruction is the first one (number 1). This reconstruction clearly captures the ideas as espoused in the argument. The message is retained even though, the wording differ. The argument suggest that if Canada relies on abortion as one of the means of controlling birth, the social commitment of the country to protect life will have been lowered. It however, suggests that abortion has to be banned, and only permitted when the mother’s life is in danger. The first premise in the reconstruction supports the argument explicitly stating that indeed, abortion will lower the social commitment of Canada in protecting life and, therefore, should be done away and only committed when the mother’s life is in a danger. Second premise as well states explicitly that abortion, as a means of birth control will lower commitment towards protecting life. The conclusion is, therefore, straightforward as it clearly says that there is need to ban abortion but to be permitted when the life of the mother is at a risk.