Critical Reasoning Midterm
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Pepperdine University *
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Course
101
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Jan 9, 2024
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docx
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3
Uploaded by BarristerArt12807
Brenda Flores
Chapter 1, Page 32: Respond in Writing Exercise # 2.
Be specific; use a
true-life example.
Is it ever okay to tell a lie? Take a position on this issue and write a short essay
supporting it.
I believe it is okay to tell a lie if your intentions are good, if you are trying to protect
yourself or another, or if telling the truth will have more negative outcomes than telling a
lie. Also, a lie is harmless in a situation when you know that it won't affect anyone such as
when an adult lies about their age or weight because they are shy to tell the truth. A
personal experience I had where I would occasionally use "white lies" was when working
in a memory care facility where all the residents suffered from dementia. When a fall risk
resident would be very agitated constantly asking and looking around for their long-
deceased spouse, telling them something comforting such as "your son called he said he
would stop by soon, let's go get ready" works to calm down a resident who could put
themselves at risk for injury. They will likely forget about it, but the lie served to calm
down their agitation. It would be inappropriate to always tell that patient that their spouse is
dead because it would confuse them more and escalate the situation. It takes good judgment
when deciding if it is appropriate to lie because lying may break trust between people.
Generally, it is not good to lie, but if you use good judgment and only do it if necessary or
if trying to protect yourself or someone else, then you could get away with it.
Chapter 2, *Define a Deductive Argument and give a true-life example.
A deductive argument is a presentation of statements or premises that are assumed or
known to be true to demonstrate that the conclusion is true. The truth of the premises
demonstrates the truth of the conclusion. Ex: "The president has a wife, Jill is the first
lady, Therefore Jill is the president's wife." "All beagles are dogs. Snoopy is a beagle. So,
Snoopy is a dog."
**Define an Inductive Argument and give a true-life example.
An Inductive argument uses premises to
support
rather than demonstrate a conclusion.
It
supports it in the sense that it raises the probability of the conclusion. It starts with
specific observation or premises and leads to a general conclusion. Ex. "Every fall there
have been hurricanes in the tropics, therefore there will be a hurricane in the tropics this
coming fall." "After careful observation by trained hummingbird specialists over many
weeks, no hummingbirds or signs of hummingbird habitation were found in this forest.
Therefore, probably there are no hummingbirds in this forest."
Chapter 3, Page 97: Complete Exercise 3-11
Make up six definitions, two of which are designed to make the thing defined look good, two of
which are designed to make it look bad, and two of which are neutral.
A person who dresses up in funny outfits, works in a circus and makes people laugh
A comedic performer that entertains children at birthday parties
A clumsy performer who acts foolishly and is known for buffoonery.
A person with a large red nose who performs ludicrous antics for the purpose of being
laughed at
An individual that performs with a colorful costume and exaggerated makeup
A performer that pantomimes common situations in an exaggerated fashion
Chapter 4, Page 135: Complete Exercise 4-14 (According to certain pollsters...)
President Barack Obama was liked by many because of his strong presence as a leader, as well
as his charisma and calm demeanor. He had a way of connecting with the average middle class
American and he made people feel as though he understood their struggles, because he too had
humble beginnings. He was relatively young and good looking and was an eloquent but powerful
orator. Overall, he was a very likable individual and his ability to connect with people got many
to side with him. I do think it's important for the president to be able to relate to the average
American and to know what it's like to be one. If he/she can understand the struggles they face,
then he has the ability to lead them and make decisions that will help and benefit the majority of
Americans.
Chapter 5, Page 181: Complete Writing
Exercise #1 (The illustration...for an article on banks and
Bankers...)
The illustration portrays bankers as large, greedy, animal like individuals who steal people's
money and ruin families. They bare their teeth and don’t show their eyes giving them an
untrustworthy and soul-less appearance. These money hungry thieves will rob you and take off
with your money.
Chapter 6, Define the following concepts
and provide true-life examples of each:
*Argumentum ad hominem — An argument against the man rather than the issue; the premises
in the argument attack on a person instead of showing why what he/she is saying is false. Ex:
"You shouldn't listen to Mary; she is a liar and she has had 3 divorces"
**Straw man — A strawman fallacy occurs when a person distorts or disregards elements of
their opponents’ arguments and responds to the distorted point because it is easier to attack. Ex:
Person 1- "I would rather have a dog than a cat." Person 2- "Why do you hate cats?"
***False dilemma — This occurs when someone offers a limited number of options when more
options exist. Ex: "America: love it or leave it." "If you are wrong, then that means I'm right."
****Begging the question-- This fallacy occurs when a claim is assumed to be true without
evidence other than the statement or claim itself. Ex: Prosecutor to defendant: "So how did you
feel when you killed your wife?"
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