From Logic to Rhetoric: a Contextualized Pedagogy for Fallacies
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Defeasibility from the Perspective of Informal Logic
University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor OSSA Conference Archive OSSA 10 May 22nd, 9:00 AM - May 25th, 5:00 PM Defeasibility from the perspective of informal logic Ralph H. Johnson University of Windsor, Centre for Research in Reasoning, Argumentation and Rhetoric Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/ossaarchive Part of the Philosophy Commons Johnson, Ralph H., "Defeasibility from the perspective of informal logic" (2013). OSSA Conference Archive. 84. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/ossaarchive/OSSA10/papersandcommentaries/84 This Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences and Conference Proceedings at Scholarship at UWindsor. It has been accepted for inclusion in OSSA Conference Archive by an authorized conference organizer of Scholarship at UWindsor. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Defeasibility from the perspective of informal logic RALPH H. JOHNSON Centre for Research in Reasoning, Argumentation and Rhetoric University of Windsor 401 Sunset Ave, Windsor, Ontario Canada [email protected] ABSTRACT: The notions of defeasibility and defeasible reasoning have generated a great deal of interest in various research communities. Here I want to focus on their use in logic and argumentation studies. I will approach these topics from the perspective of an informal logician who finds himself struggling with some issues that surround the idea of and the deployment of the concept of defeasibility. My intention is to make those struggles as clear as I can. KEYWORDS: deductive, defeasible, defeasibility, Pollock, undercutting defeater, rebutting defeater, Informal Logic Initiative 1. INTRODUCTION The notions of defeasibility and defeasible reasoning have generated a great deal of interest in various research communities. -
Argumentation and Fallacies in Creationist Writings Against Evolutionary Theory Petteri Nieminen1,2* and Anne-Mari Mustonen1
Nieminen and Mustonen Evolution: Education and Outreach 2014, 7:11 http://www.evolution-outreach.com/content/7/1/11 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Argumentation and fallacies in creationist writings against evolutionary theory Petteri Nieminen1,2* and Anne-Mari Mustonen1 Abstract Background: The creationist–evolutionist conflict is perhaps the most significant example of a debate about a well-supported scientific theory not readily accepted by the public. Methods: We analyzed creationist texts according to type (young earth creationism, old earth creationism or intelligent design) and context (with or without discussion of “scientific” data). Results: The analysis revealed numerous fallacies including the direct ad hominem—portraying evolutionists as racists, unreliable or gullible—and the indirect ad hominem, where evolutionists are accused of breaking the rules of debate that they themselves have dictated. Poisoning the well fallacy stated that evolutionists would not consider supernatural explanations in any situation due to their pre-existing refusal of theism. Appeals to consequences and guilt by association linked evolutionary theory to atrocities, and slippery slopes to abortion, euthanasia and genocide. False dilemmas, hasty generalizations and straw man fallacies were also common. The prevalence of these fallacies was equal in young earth creationism and intelligent design/old earth creationism. The direct and indirect ad hominem were also prevalent in pro-evolutionary texts. Conclusions: While the fallacious arguments are irrelevant when discussing evolutionary theory from the scientific point of view, they can be effective for the reception of creationist claims, especially if the audience has biases. Thus, the recognition of these fallacies and their dismissal as irrelevant should be accompanied by attempts to avoid counter-fallacies and by the recognition of the context, in which the fallacies are presented. -
Bootstrapping, Defeasible Reasoning, Anda Priorijustification
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES Philosophical Perspectives, 24, Epistemology, 2010 BOOTSTRAPPING, DEFEASIBLE REASONING, AND APRIORIJUSTIFICATION Stewart Cohen The University of Arizona What is the relationship between (rationally) justified perceptual belief and (rationally) justified belief in the reliability of perception? A familiar argument has it that this relationship makes perceptual justification impossible. For on the one hand, pre-theoretically it seems reasonable to suppose: (1) We cannot have justified perceptual beliefs without having a prior justified belief that perception is reliable. If we are not justified in believing perception is reliable, then how can we trust its deliverances? On the other hand, it seems reasonable to suppose: (2) We cannot be justified in believing perception is reliable without having prior justified perceptual beliefs. It is a contingent matter whether perception is reliable. So how else could we be justified in believing perception is reliable other than by empirical investigation?1 Combining these two suppositions yields the disastrous result that we need justified perceptual beliefs prior to having justified perceptual beliefs. Unless we are content with a skeptical result, these two suppositions need to be reconsidered. Some theorists have elected to retain (1) and deny (2), by arguing that we have apriorijustification for believing perception is reliable.2 Others have elected to retain (2) and deny (1), allowing that we can have justified perceptual beliefs without having justification for believing perception is reliable.3 Denying (1) yields what I will call “basic justification” or “basic justified beliefs” — justified beliefs that are obtained without prior justification for believing that the processes that produces them are reliable. -
Table of Contents
Table of Contents The Opening Salvo 21 What Are Negotiations? 21 Why Are Negotiations Important? 25 When Do Negotiations Take Place? 26 Are Negotiations Limited to the Purview of Rocket Scientists? 30 Should Negotiators Always Seek to Vanquish Opponents? 31 Costs and Risks of Negotiations 36 Some Negotiators are Duplicitous 45 Risks of Borrowing Money from Partners and Customers 47 Avoiding Negotiations 63 You Are Always Negotiating 63 Fundamental Tensions in Negotiations 67 Negotiations Are Pervasive and Eternal 74 LEVERAGE IN NEGOTIATIONS 79 The Importance of Leverage in Negotiations 80 Creating Negotiating Leverage 85 Plan Your Exit at the Beginning 85 Importance of Choosing Partners Wisely 87 Gaining Leverage Through Third Parties 89 Business Models Are a Factor in Successful Negotiations 93 The Anatomy of Argumentation 97 Lincolnian Argumentation 98 The Power of Process 101 Harmonizing the Negotiating Process 103 Voting Architecture 105 Selected Negotiating Process Issues 107 Preemptively Setting the Framework for Resolving Disputes 108 Auctions Versus Direct Negotiations 113 Benefits of Auctions Over Direct Negotiations 113 Benefits of Direct Negotiations Over Auctions 115 The Strategic Negotiator I 1 Sequencing Negotiations 118 Sequencing Contentious Issues 118 Negotiating Downrange 129 Hold-Up Tactics 132 PREPARING FOR NEGOTIATIONS 143 Conducting Due Diligence on Individuals 148 Conducting Due Diligence on Institutions 152 Conducting Due Diligence on Individuals Within Institutions 154 Elicitation Strategies 157 Heimlich Maneuvers -
The Pedagogical Dimension of Indoctrination: Criticism of Indoctrination and the Constructivism in Education
META: Research in Hermeneutics, Phenomenology, and Practical Philosophy – IV (1) / 2012 META: RESEARCH IN HERMENEUTICS, PHENOMENOLOGY, AND PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY VOL. IV, NO. 1 / JUNE 2012: 88-105, ISSN 2067-3655, www.metajournal.org The Pedagogical Dimension of Indoctrination: Criticism of Indoctrination and the Constructivism in Education Mariana Momanu “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași Abstract This study proposes a critical analysis of indoctrination in the field of education. We shall first discuss the meaning of this word trying to identify two fundamental dimensions: the pedagogical dimension and the ideological one. After approaching the relationship between indoctrination and authority in education, we classify the types of indoctrination identified by O. Reboul (1977) based on these two dimensions. For the analysis of indoctrination in the teaching process we used a four-dimensional model that includes: the intention, teaching contents, teaching methods and finalities of the didactic process. The study concludes with criticisms of indoctrination in terms of the constructivist paradigm in education. We consider that, far from having achieved the single possible approach, the constructivism is an option for educating the critical spirit and preventing the risks of indoctrination within the teaching process. Keywords: indoctrination, authority, teaching, criticism of indoctrination, constructivist approach. 1. The Concept of Indoctrination. The Pedagogical Dimension of Indoctrination The initial meaning of indoctrination is of pedagogical nature. In Latin, Doctrina means education, science, doctrine, that can many times substitute one for another. The former meaning of doctrine was savoir or acquired knowledge (Robert 1957, 1564), while that of the verb to indoctrinate was: to instruct, to provide someone with knowledge, to teach a science (Robert 1957, 1564). -
Evidence Graphs: Supporting Transparent and FAIR Computation, with Defeasible Reasoning on Data, Methods and Results
bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.29.437561; this version posted March 30, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY 4.0 International license. Evidence Graphs: Supporting Transparent and FAIR Computation, with Defeasible Reasoning on Data, Methods and Results Sadnan Al Manir1 [0000-0003-4647-3877], Justin Niestroy1 [0000-0002-1103-3882], Maxwell Adam Levinson1 [0000-0003-0384-8499], and Timothy Clark1,2 [0000-0003-4060-7360]* 1 University of Virginia, School of Medicine, Charlottesville VA USA 2 University of Virginia, School of Data Science, Charlottesville VA USA [email protected] *Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract. Introduction: Transparency of computation is a requirement for assessing the va- lidity of computed results and research claims based upon them; and it is essential for access to, assessment, and reuse of computational components. These com- ponents may be subject to methodological or other challenges over time. While reference to archived software and/or data is increasingly common in publica- tions, a single machine-interpretable, integrative representation of how results were derived, that supports defeasible reasoning, has been absent. Methods: We developed the Evidence Graph Ontology, EVI, in OWL 2, with a set of inference rules, to provide deep representations of supporting and challeng- ing evidence for computations, services, software, data, and results, across arbi- trarily deep networks of computations, in connected or fully distinct processes. EVI integrates FAIR practices on data and software, with important concepts from provenance models, and argumentation theory. -
Propaganda Fitzmaurice
Propaganda Fitzmaurice Propaganda Katherine Fitzmaurice Brock University Abstract This essay looks at how the definition and use of the word propaganda has evolved throughout history. In particular, it examines how propaganda and education are intrinsically linked, and the implications of such a relationship. Propaganda’s role in education is problematic as on the surface, it appears to serve as a warning against the dangers of propaganda, yet at the same time it disseminates the ideology of a dominant political power through curriculum and practice. Although propaganda can easily permeate our thoughts and actions, critical thinking and awareness can provide the best defense against falling into propaganda’s trap of conformity and ignorance. Keywords: propaganda, education, indoctrination, curriculum, ideology Katherine Fitzmaurice is a Master’s of Education (M.Ed.) student at Brock University. She is currently employed in the private business sector and is a volunteer with several local educational organizations. Her research interests include adult literacy education, issues of access and equity for marginalized adults, and the future and widening of adult education. Email: [email protected] 63 Brock Education Journal, 27(2), 2018 Propaganda Fitzmaurice According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED, 2011) the word propaganda can be traced back to 1621-23, when it first appeared in “Congregatio de progapanda fide,” meaning “congregation for propagating the faith.” This was a mission, commissioned by Pope Gregory XV, to spread the doctrine of the Catholic Church to non-believers. At the time, propaganda was defined as “an organization, scheme, or movement for the propagation of a particular doctrine, practice, etc.” (OED). -
A System for Cherry-Picked Trendlines Detection
MithraDetective: A System for Cherry-picked Trendlines Detection Yoko Nagafuchi∗, Yin Liny, Kaushal Mamgain{, Abolfazl Asudeh∗∗, H. V. Jagadishx, You (Will) Wuk, Cong Yuz ∗,y,xUniversity of Michigan; {,∗∗University of Illinois at Chicago; k,zGoogle Research; {yokon,irenelin,jag}@umich.edu; {kmamga2,asudeh}@uic.edu; {wuyou,congyu}@google.com; ABSTRACT come out with the fantasy-like statement that: The northern Given a data set, misleading conclusions can be drawn from hemisphere summers are colder than winters. For example, a it by cherry picking selected samples. One important class of cherry-picked summer day of Ann Arbor (MI, USA) on Aug. 퐹 conclusions is a trend derived from a data set of values over 18 had an average temperature of 58° , which is 8 degrees time. Our goal is to evaluate whether the ‘trends’ described lower than its average temperature on Mar. 15 (a winter by the extracted samples are representative of the true sit- day). In fact, both of the seasonal aggregation results and uation represented in the data. We demonstrate MithraDe- the validation [3] indicate that such cherry-picked trendline tective, a system to compute a support score to indicate how statements are not a fair representation of the truth. cherry-picked a statement is; that is, whether the reported Cherry-picked claims can aggravate public panic and lead trend is well-supported by the data. The system can also be to potentially dangerous outcomes in policy-making, as shown used to discover more supported alternatives. MithraDetec- in the next example. tive provides an interactive visual interface for both tasks. -
Gorbachev and His Reforms
The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law CUA Law Scholarship Repository Scholarly Articles and Other Contributions Faculty Scholarship 1986 Gorbachev and His Reforms Rett R. Ludwikowski The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.edu/scholar Part of the Political Science Commons, and the Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies Commons Recommended Citation Rett R. Ludwikowski, Gorbachev and His Reforms, 30 MOD. AGE 120 (1986). This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at CUA Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Scholarly Articles and Other Contributions by an authorized administrator of CUA Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Estimating the chances of economic recovery of the Soviet Union Gorbachev and His Reforms Rett R. Ludwikowski IN THE LAST year the Western press has major policy address also freely ac- given a great deal of publicity to the new knowledged that the previous period had attempts at economic reform in the Soviet not solved the Soviet bloc’s most urgent Union. “Gorbachev Sets Shift in Econo- problems and declared his determination my,” “Gorbachev’s Vigor Holds Attention to fight against inefficiency in agriculture, of Soviets,’’ “Gorbachev Orders Wide ‘Re- drunkenness, corruption, the black mar- structuring’ of Soviet Economy”-these ket, the general disintegration of the com- are the titles of only a few articles which munist economy, and so forth. Some examine Gorbachev’s “breath-taking de- others mentioned that Andropov’s pre- termination to make changes in the decessors had made the same declara- Soviet economy.’’’ tions when first addressing the Central The general optimism as to the chances Committee. -
Mobbing and Its Association with Quality of Life In
International Journal of Health and Psychology Research Vol.7, No.2, pp.13-25, June 2019 Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org) MOBBING AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH QUALITY OF LIFE IN HEALTH PROFESSIONALS Aristotelis Koinis ¹*, Emmanouil Velonakis ², Chara Tzavara3, Maria Kalafati ², Styliani Tziaferi 1 ¹ University of Peloponnese, Department of Nursing, Laboratory of Integrated Health Care – Sparta, Greece ² Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece 3 Centre for Health Services Research, Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Athens, Greece ABSTRACT: Background and objectives: The impact of mobbing on the quality of life of Health Professionals (HP) has been studied to a limited extent in Greece. The purpose of this study is the effect of mobbing and the effect of demographic characteristics on the quality of life of health professionals. Materials and Methods: In the present cross-sectional study HP from 11 public Greek hospitals are involved. The sample was (N = 1536) HP, (A = 528) and (C = 1008), average age 39.2 years (SD = 10.3 years). A demographic data form and two tools were used anonymously, self- fulfilling. The World Health Organization questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) that measure the quality of life and the WPVB that measures violent psychological behaviour in workplaces. The two-sided level of statistical significance was set at 0.05, while the data analysis was performed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 22.0. Results: Women had lower scores in the Mental Health Scale and the quality life level of independence compared to men (p = 0.003). -
Discourse Relations and Defeasible Knowledge`
DISCOURSE RELATIONS AND DEFEASIBLE KNOWLEDGE* Alex Lascarides t Nicholas Asher Human Communication Research Centre Center for Cognitive Science University of Edinburgh University of Texas 2 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9LW Austin, Texas 78712 Scotland USA alex@uk, ac. ed. cogsc£ asher@sygmund, cgs. utexas, edu Abstract of the event described in a, i.e. fl's event is part of the preparatory phase of a's: 2 This paper presents a formal account of the temporal interpretation of text. The distinct nat- (2) The council built the bridge. The architect ural interpretations of texts with similar syntax drew up the plans. are explained in terms of defeasible rules charac- terising causal laws and Gricean-style pragmatic Explanation(a, fl): For example the event de- maxims. Intuitively compelling patterns of defea,- scribed in clause fl caused the event described in sible entailment that are supported by the logic clause a: in which the theory is expressed are shown to un- derly temporal interpretation. (3) Max fell. John pushed him. Background(a, fl): For example the state de- The Problem scribed in fl is the 'backdrop' or circumstances under which the event in a occurred (so the event and state temporally overlap): The temporal interpretation of text involves an account of how the events described are related (4) Max opened the door. The room was pitch to each other. These relations follow from the dark. discourse relations that are central to temporal import. 1 Some of these are listed below, where Result(a, fl): The event described in a caused the clause a appears in the text before fl: the event or state described in fl: Narration(a,fl): The event described in fl is a consequence of (but not necessarily caused by) (5) Max switched off the light. -
1 a Tale of Two Interpretations
Notes 1 A Tale of Two Interpretations 1. As Georges Dicker puts it, “Hume’s influence on contemporary epistemology and metaphysics is second to none ... ” (1998, ix). Note, too, that Hume’s impact extends beyond philosophy. For consider the following passage from Einstein’s letter to Moritz Schlick: Your representations that the theory of rel. [relativity] suggests itself in positivism, yet without requiring it, are also very right. In this also you saw correctly that this line of thought had a great influence on my efforts, and more specifically, E. Mach, and even more so Hume, whose Treatise of Human Nature I had studied avidly and with admiration shortly before discovering the theory of relativity. It is very possible that without these philosophical studies I would not have arrived at the solution (Einstein 1998, 161). 2. For a brief overview of Hume’s connection to naturalized epistemology, see Morris (2008, 472–3). 3. For the sake of convenience, I sometimes refer to the “traditional reading of Hume as a sceptic” as, e.g., “the sceptical reading of Hume” or simply “the sceptical reading”. Moreover, I often refer to those who read Hume as a sceptic as, e.g., “the sceptical interpreters of Hume” or “the sceptical inter- preters”. By the same token, I sometimes refer to those who read Hume as a naturalist as, e.g., “the naturalist interpreters of Hume” or simply “the natu- ralist interpreters”. And the reading that the naturalist interpreters support I refer to as, e.g., “the naturalist reading” or “the naturalist interpretation”. 4. This is not to say, though, that dissenting voices were entirely absent.