PHI 100

Know the ARG conditions for a cogent argument.

Know the ARG conditions for a cogent argument.

-Acceptable Premises: it is reasonable for the person receiving the argument to believe the premises to be true

*if the premise is not acceptable then they are false. It might contain persuasive def. or are disputable based on common knowledge

-Relevant Premises: premises are relevant to the conclusion

*the premise is not acceptable then the argument is not relevant

-Good Grounds: the premises support the conclusion and make it reasonable to believe the conclusion

*do the premises support the conclusion enough?

Deductive Argument

the idea the conclusion must follow from the premises. If so the argument is considered valid. Top-down approach=General to Specific

For example:

1.) Something general that everybody knows is true. (All Taco Bells sell Tacos)

2.) Something specific is a part of or instance of the general. (This place is a Taco Bell)

Therefore,

3.) Whatever applies to the general must apply to the particular. (this place sells tacos)

Conductive

arguments used in legal field, in science, and in everyday decisions. IBE - inferring best explanation. There is a lot similarities but doesn’t mean the conclusion is right

Inductive

opposite of deductive approach. Use bottom up approach going from specifics to general conclusion. Do not entail the conclusion, but support it with evidence or observation.

For Example: All crows that I have seen are black that must mean all crows are black. Could be wrong but no evidence of it being so.

Analogy

make arguments based on a comparison to another case which is already known or accepted

*similar situations have similar conclusions

For Example: I have never had trouble getting tacos at Taco Bell because that’s their signature item. Even though I have never been to white castle, I’m sure I would not have trouble getting sliders because that’s their signature items.

Be able to describe the details of Plato’s cave.

Plato’s Cave is an allegory. It is about chained prisoners that were only able to see what was in front of them. Behind them was a fire and a few objects. In front of them were the shadows of those real objects that accepted as their reality because it was all they knew to be real.

Know the meaning behind the cave and the different aspects of it. What do the shadows, fire, Sun etc. represent.

The meaning behind the cave is to represent people that are stuck in their ways and don’t dare to seek a new truth. They have the choice to be released but some prisoners choose not to go out because they fear what is behind them. If a prisoner were to go out and step into sunlight they would finally get the truth but it would scare the prisoners from wanting to go out bc of the burning of your eyes. It shows how there can be a difference in knowledge and how a person that has been enlightened is treated.

Shadows represents ideals. The fire is a distraction that takes them away from the truth. The sun represents the good, reality.

Know what Descartes dream argument and evil genius argument are all about.

The dreaming argument suggests that it is not possible to distinguish between having a waking experience and dreaming an experience. Whereas, the evil demon argument suggests that we are deceived in all areas of our experiences by an evil demon.

Know the reasoning behind those two arguments

It was to motivate skepticism and make people ask themselves are in a dream world or real life and we shouldn’t rule out the fact that we could be victims to an evil genius that could be deceiving us.

Know why regress is a problem in epistemology

Because there is an infinite amount of times you can say why and then more supplementary evidence is added each time.

Know the basic arguments for and against the two main answers to the regress problem that we discussed.

contextualism - if a person believes X and no one disputes it, that person is justified

Against - Something might be justified one day but not always the next

Coherentism - the only thing that can justify beliefs are other beliefs

Against - circular justification one day the justification that started it will also be used to justify the same argument. The isolation objection, something could be totally coherent and yet be totally wrong.

Foundationalism - something that doesn’t need other justification. To know is to know it is the truth.

Against - lack of useful knowledge.

Confirmation Bias

the tendency to not be open-minded because you already have an idea what the truth is. Only accepting evidence that backs you up.

Semmelweis Effect

Believing a well-known theory even when the correct evidence is right in your face. Or the refusal to accept a new theory despite evidence that it is correct

Law of Instrument

when someone is used to doing something a certain way they tend to want to use that way for everything.

Gambler’s Fallacy

previous events did not match with what you expected and you keep trying thinking you have a higher chance of winning with probability is still the same.

Example: the chance of rolling a 6 is 1 in 6 even after 30 rolls.

Dunning-Kruger Effect

People who know little may think they know more than they do

Naive Realism

Thinking everybody should see the world the same as you because you see your thoughts as rational and if they don’t then they’re wrong, irrational, biased.

Bias Blind Spot

when a person is able to recognize the influence of bias in other but not ourselves. We consider ourselves unbiased but we are

Chronological Snobbery

The belief that you’re are more knowledgeable about the thoughts, ideas, methods, and outlook of our time better than others from the past

Straw Man Fallacy - informal

when someone takes another person's argument or point, distorts it or exaggerates it in some kind of extreme way

Ad Hominem Fallacy - informal

attacking the person instead of attacking the argument. Attacking the person isn’t relevant to premises

Tu Quoque Fallacy - informal

(you too) Someone can be hypocritical but still be correct.

Example: a doctor comes in smelling like cigarettes but tells you that you should stop smoking because it is bad for you

Appeal to Popularity - informal

Believing something just because it is popular. It doesn’t mean they’re wrong but believing it only because it is popular is wrong.

Anecdotal Arguments

not doing something or going somewhere because of someone else’s experience.

Example: Yelp or any place where you can review

Appeal to Emotion

emotionally charged language is sometimes used instead of an argument. It’s effective but doesn’t add anything to the argument. It’s used to make the opponent feel stupid and question their opinion

Begging the Question

when the premise is not acceptable because it assumes the truth or that the conclusion is false

Example: cave drawings are done by aliens. How so? Because aliens exist and have drawn shapes that humans understand

-you’re assuming that aliens already exist

Personal Incredulity

just because it takes a while to explain and or is hard to understand doesn’t mean it is false

Bias Sample

Asking a certain group of people a question knowing what the result will be because of the population you gathered.

Appeal to Authority (note the difference between an acceptable and fallacious appeal to authority)

fallacy of saying a claim is true simply because an authority figure made it

An authority is proper if:

\n • They have a degree or certification in a certain area, or have done extensive research into the subject.

\n • The knowledge must be that which is attained through agreed-upon methods.

\n • Experts in the area of study generally agree. One cannot appeal to authority for issues which

\n are disputed by experts.

\n • A named person, not a generalization (“they say,” or “Scientists say,” or “Recent studies ”).

False Cause

falsely assumes that one event causes another.

Example: every time I wash my car it rains