How Logical Fallacy Invalidates Any Argument

How Logical Fallacy Invalidates Any Argument Fallacies are defects that cause an argument to be invalid, unsound, or weak. Logical fallacies can be separated into two general groups: formal and informal. A formal fallacy is a defect which can be identified merely by looking at the logical structure of an argument, rather than at any specific statements. Informal fallacies are defects which can be identified only through an analysis of the actual content of the argument. Formal Fallacies Formal fallacies are found only in deductive arguments with identifiable forms. One of the things which makes them appear reasonable is the fact that they look like and mimic valid logical arguments, but are in fact invalid. Here is an example: Premise: All humans are mammals.Premise: All cats are mammals.Conclusion: All humans are cats. Both premises in this argument are true, but the conclusion is false. The defect is a formal fallacy, and can be demonstrated by reducing the argument to its bare structure: All A are CAll B are CAll A are B It does not matter what A, B, and C stand for. We could replace them with wines, milk, and beverages. The argument would still be invalid for the exact same reason. It can be helpful to reduce an argument to its structure and ignore content in order to see if it is valid. Informal Fallacies Informal fallacies are defects which can be identified only through an analysis of the actual content of the argument, rather than through its structure. Here is an example: Premise: Geological events produce rock.Premise: Rock is a type of music.Conclusion: Geological events produce music. The premises in this argument are true but clearly, the conclusion is false. Is the defect a formal fallacy or an informal fallacy? To see if this is actually a formal fallacy, we have to break it down to its basic structure: A BB CA C This structure is valid. Therefore, the defect cannot be a formal fallacy and must instead be an informal fallacy that is identifiable from the content. When we examine the content, we find that a key term (rock) is being used with two different definitions. Informal fallacies can work in several ways. Some distract the reader from what is really going on. Some, like in the above example, make use of ambiguity to cause confusion. Defective Arguments There are many ways to categorize fallacies. Aristotle was the first to try to systematically describe and categorize them, identifying 13 fallacies divided into two groups. Since then,  many more have been described and the categorization has become more complicated. The categorization used here should prove useful, but it is not the only valid way of organizing fallacies. Fallacies of Grammatical Analogy Arguments with this defect have a structure that is grammatically close to arguments which are valid and make no fallacies. Because of this close similarity, a reader can be distracted into thinking that a bad argument is actually valid. Fallacies of Ambiguity With these fallacies, some sort of ambiguity is introduced either in the premises or in the conclusion itself. This way, an apparently false idea can be made to appear true so long as the reader does not notice the problematic definitions. Examples: Equivocation FallacyNo True Scotsman FallacyQuoting out of ContextFallacies of Relevance These fallacies all make use of premises which are logically irrelevant to the final conclusion. Examples: Ad HominemAppeals to AuthorityAppeals to Emotion and DesireFallacies of Presumption Logical fallacies of presumption arise because the premises already assume what they are supposed to prove. This is invalid because there is no point in trying to prove something you already assume to be true. No one who needs to have something proven to them will accept a premise which already assumes the truth of that idea. Examples: Begging the QuestionComplex QuestionFalse DilemmaFallacies of Weak Induction With this type of fallacy, there may be an apparent logical connection between the premises and the conclusion. However, if that connection is real, then it is too weak to support the conclusion. Examples: Ad Hoc RationalizationOversimplification Exaggeration Sources Barker, Stephen F. Elements of Logic. Hardcover - 1675, McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. Curti, Gary N. Weblog. Fallacy Files, March 31, 2019.   Edwards, Paul (Editor). The Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Hardcover, 1st edition, Macmillan/Collier, 1972. Engel, S. Morris. With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies. Sixth Edition, Bedford/St. Martins, March 21, 2014. Hurley, Patrick J. A Concise Introduction to Logic. 12 Edition, Cengage Learning, January 1, 2014. Salmon, Merrilee H. Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking. 6th Edition, Cengage Learning, January 1, 2012. Vos Savant, Marilyn. The Power of Logical Thinking: Easy Lessons in the Art of Reasoning...and Hard Facts About Its Absence in Our Lives. Hardcover, 1st edition, St Martins Press, March 1, 1996.

Word Choice Disinterested vs. Uninterested

Word Choice Disinterested vs. Uninterested Word Choice: Disinterested vs. Uninterested Here at Proofed, we see plenty of linguistic mix-ups. However, few cause more confusion than â€Å"disinterested† and â€Å"uninterested.† It’s easy to understand why these words sometimes baffle even native English speakers, as they’re alike in many ways. Both are adjectives related to attention, for example, and the prefixes â€Å"dis-† and â€Å"un-† are sometimes used interchangeably. But â€Å"disinterested† and â€Å"uninterested† have importantly distinct meanings, so it’s vital to use them correctly in academic writing. Disinterested (Objective) The word â€Å"disinterested† implies freedom from bias and self-interest. When we want to take a neutral or objective attitude towards something, we would adopt a â€Å"disinterested approach†: Although he cared about the environment, as a scientist, James knew he had to address climate change disinterestedly. Uninterested (Bored) The word â€Å"uninterested,† by comparison, means â€Å"indifferent† or â€Å"bored.† Thus, if we simply have no concern for something, we are â€Å"uninterested†: Although Jane was a environmentalist, she was uninterested in the science behind climate change. The Prefixes: Dis- and Un- One way to remember the difference between these terms is to consider what the prefix at the beginning of each word means. The prefix â€Å"dis-† implies separation (e.g., disconnected, disjointed). So being â€Å"disinterested† is an attempt to look past your own interests: a deliberate attempt to adopt a neutral attitude. The prefix â€Å"un-† in this case implies a negation (e.g., unhappy, unknown). As such, being â€Å"uninterested† is the opposite of being interested: i.e., a lack of interest rather than a deliberate attempt to approach something without bias. Disinterested or Uninterested? As you can see, there’s a huge difference between the meanings of â€Å"disinterested† and â€Å"uninterested.† To make sure you use these terms correctly, remember the following: Disinterested = Neutral or unbiased Uninterested = Indifferent or bored If you can remember this, you should avoid errors in your writing. But since it’s easy to overlook these things, it never hurts to have a professional check your work. Try sending a 500-word sample to be proofread for free.

The National Security Agency and Cryptography Term Paper

The National Security Agency and Cryptography - Term Paper Example In the past, cryptography was primarily used for military and government intelligence, which is still very important to date. However, advancement in electronic communication systems especially the internet has fueled the use of cryptography in sending private messages and information such as medical records, banking data and credit card numbers among others via electronic channels. Cryptography ensures rapid, secure and confidential electronic communication between two or more people (Nsa.gov, 2). Garfinkel points out that mathematical cryptography involves the use of mathematical processes for sending secret information. It uses the method of encryption, which only the recipient can comprehend. Through this method, a plaintext message is converted into ciphertext, which is sent to the other party. The receiver of the message converts the ciphertext back to plaintext using decryption. The channels through which the messages are sent may be open or accessible to outside parties who i ntercept messages but these people cannot understand or interfere with the information. A Cryptographic system is a process, method or system that provides security in terms of integrity, non-reputation, authentication, access control and confidentiality. The system provides encryption and decryption, which may be software, hardware or even a manually performed process. A cryptographic system ensures confidentiality of information by preventing its disclosure to unauthorized persons either in a local network or across a network. Therefore, for a cryptographic system to be effective in preventing unauthorized decryption of messages, it should be strong, making it hard to crack and to break the system. However, a system is considered weak if it is easily decrypted, has defects in its designs or if it allows weak keys (Dulaney 326). The cryptographic system should also provide an assurance that the recipient receives the original message from the sender. It should not allow any kind of modification on the message during transmission because if this happens, the message is altered and it becomes unintelligible and inaccurate, which may have serious consequences on the recipient. For instance, if such alterations happened in medical records that involved drug prescriptions, the patient under medication may be in danger. Therefore, a cryptographic system should ensure integrity in its process by having mechanisms that will indicate that the message was altered or corrupted, hence allowing proper precautions (Dulaney 327). There are four fundamental principles behind cryptography. The first principle implies the use of a plaintext, which is the message that the sender wishes to encrypt. After the encryption, the message becomes a ciphertext, which is the second principle. The third principle involves a mathematical function known as encryption algorithm that encrypts the message and the fourth principle implies the type of key or keys used in cryptography. The key(s) can be a phrase, a number or a word that is used by the mathematical function for encryption. The main goal of cryptography is to ensure that the original plaintext cannot be reproduced from the ciphertext without using the corresponding key(s) (Garfinkel, 33). Cryptography requires both the sender and the receiver to have the knowledge of the procedures involved in encryption and de

Speech class assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Speech class assignment - Essay Example It delves deeper and in specific; this is as opposed to the general purpose of a given speech. Sproule (574) states that it enlivens the general purpose of the speech, where it covers aspects such as what the audience is being enlightened on. This situation is so, especially if the general theme of the speech aligns with informing the audience. It may also cover what the audience is being persuaded to do in the case the general purpose of the speech lies under the theme of persuasion. In listening to this speech, there are a numerous of points and emphases noted. Among them are the emphases of the fact that Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was riding only two cars behind his boss when President J. F. Kennedy was shot. There is another emphasis, which states that barely 24 hours had passed before V.P Johnson ascended to the Presidency of the Unites States of America. The phrase ‘ladies and gentlemen’ are said in an emphasizing manner, where the lecturer introduces the issues to do with the ratification of the 25th amendment that deals with the succession of a president. Finally, there is an emphasis on the point that article 25 of the Constitution was vague thereby giving room to misinterpretations and confusions. Listening to speech four without the visual element, it is almost impossible to note the areas being emphasized by the speaker. The tone is flat without any poses and variations. As such, the speaker appears to be speaking on one subject. The tonal variation, which should come with the comparison of various aspects of the speech, remains lacking. The emphasis that should be placed on the various types of artwork, specifically the impressionistic versus the 18th-century artwork. On the mention of the example of an impressionistic painting, the speaker does not change his tone. The mention of the painter is also done in a flat tone. Finally, the changes in subjects are also done without much consideration of the tonal

Metaphors Throughout The Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers

Hawthorne manages to create many metaphors within his novel The Scarlet Letter. The rose bush outside the prison door, the black man, and the scaffold are three metaphors. Perhaps the most important metaphor would be the scaffold, which plays a great role throughout the entire story. The three scaffold scenes which Hawthorne incorporated into The Scarlet Letter contain a great deal of significance and importance the plot. Each scene brings a different aspect of the main characters, the crowd or more minor characters, and what truth or punishment is being brought forth. The first scaffold scene takes place at the very beginning of the story. In this particular scene, Hester has moments before walked from the prison door carrying her baby and donning the scarlet letter, which stands for adultery. She must make this procession in front of the entire town. After the march, Hester is forced to stand alone on the scaffold until an hour past noon. It seems as if Hawthorne wrote this scene for the purposes of exhibiting the harshness of Puritan society, and to allow the reader some insight into Hester's thoughts. Hawthorne places the focus onto Hester at this moment. The reader observes her before the full effect of the scarlet letter has had a chance to take hold of her. The reader is also able to see the cruel and judgmental behavior of the crowd through their language, such as when they call her a hussy. "This women has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not law for it?" In this scene, the reader is able to see inside Hester's head. One is able to observe the utter contempt she holds for the Puritan ways. She exhibits he love and respect for the father of her child, when she refuses to relinquish his name to the committee. The reader can see her defiant spirit due to these actions. The second scaffold scene is momentous, but seemingly less important in comparison with the other two. This scene, in general, is quite different from the other two scaffold scenes. The first and third take place during the day, in front of large crowds. However, the second scene takes place at night, in which only five citizens pass before the scaffold, or glance out their windows at it. At the beginning of this scene, the reader finds Dimmesdale by himself on the scaffold.

Reflection Writing of The Drover’s Wife by Henry Lawson Essay

I’ve never been reading a tremendous story such â€Å"The Drover’s Wife† before. â€Å"The Drover’s wife† was written by Henry Lawson is a short story about a woman who live in a bush with her four children and a dog, Aligance, while her husband didn’t at home because of driving. The story wants to mention on the woman who was a good mother and also a strong lady. In a dangerous event, there was a snake in her house. In order to protect her children she kept reminding herself all night to guard her children who were sleeping on the table in the kitchen; finally, the drover’s wife and her dog killed the snake and burnt it. Actually, I do love two characters among all characters represented in the story. The first is drover’s wife; throughout the short story I get a very good characterization of the woman. As a girl-wife she had hated the lonely life in the outback, but as time pass by, she used to it. Her struggle has been many. When the drought forced her husband to go droving, she had been left alone with her children and the problems in a pity bush. However, she was a strong and brave lady; in fact, she had solved the entire difficult situation without her husband’s assistance. She plays an important role in the family which she had to stay and take care of the children alone. Another she was defended mother and a good wife. In a long night, she kept her eye opening to ensure that the snake wouldn’t bit any of her children. Staying and taking care of the children alone; she neither complained about her living condition nor her husband absence. She didn’t care about herself when she fought the flood that devastated the dam; she still thought of her husband’s feeling after realizing this disaster. Specially, this character has given me an idea that women should not always rely on men; women are not as weak as what other people said. Women have strength to protect themselves as well as their beloved persons. Not only drover’s wife but also her biggest son Tommy was bravery. He helped his mom a lot; even he was a small one, his behavior is such an adult. Maybe he think that beside his father , he was the only one man to protect the member from any danger. This smart boy also remind his mother to wake him up if the snake came back again. Moreover, â€Å"The Drover’s Wife† has remarkably little action such as â€Å"Near midnight, the children are all asleep and the drover’s wife sit there still, sewing and reading by turns. From time to time she glances round the floor and well-plate, and, whenever she hears a noise, she reached for the stick. The thunderstorm comes on, and the wind, rushing through the cracks in the slab wall, threatens to blow out her candle. She places it on a sheltered part of the dresser and fixes up a newspaper to protect it. At every flash of lightning, the cracks between the slabs gleam like polished silver. The thunder rolls, and the rain comes down in torrents.† in this plot the author want to express the activities of being a mother who always care and worried about her children. Not all people do such that thing beside mother. In case she ensures that her children are safely, she can do anything without caring much own self. Another action â€Å"She lays her ha nd on the dog’s head, and all the fierce, angry light dies out of his yellow eyes. The younger children are quieted, and presently go to sleep. The dirty-legged boy stands for a moment in his shirt, watching the fire. Presently he looks up at her, sees the tears in her eyes, and, throwing his arms around her neck exclaims: â€Å"Mother, I won’t never go drovin’ blarst me if I do!† And she hugs him to her worn-out breast and kisses him; and they sit thus together while the sickly daylight breaks over the bush.†. This plot shows that if Tommy were a husband ,or when he grow up, he would not be away from home do such his father . He’s recognized what was the difficulty which a wife and children forced to bed situation. About drover’s wife, she loves her children above all, but she has no time to show it. The children have a very harsh impression of her. Still, in the last sentence we see proof of her love for them. What I have learnt from this story has been many. First, I understudied that on be haft of a good mother it is not easy. Sometime they act as ignorant but their mind obsessed all the time on children; however, they did not complained any words. Beside this, I caught a lot on the behaviour of the drover’s wife; we will not always get what we want, but we should learn to satisfy what we have. There are many problems and obstacles that we have to face, and all those make us become stronger and stronger, and give as such an important experience for our future steps. After reading this story, I strongly recommend it to other people who want to learn and experience more about life. Also lecturer should have risen this story to discuss much more and deeply on it, because student may benefit a lot from this story.

A Beginners Look at the Subjunctive Mood in Spanish

One of the most confusing aspects of Spanish for beginners is the subjunctive mood. In fact, it usually isnt taught, at least to those using English as a first language, until at least the intermediate level. But even as a beginning Spanish student, you should be aware of what role the subjunctive mood plays, if only so you can recognize it when you come across it in speech or reading. What is the Subjunctive Mood? The mood of a verb, sometimes known as its mode, indicates what type of role it plays in a sentence and/or the speakers attitude toward it. For the most part, in English as well as Spanish, the most common verb mood is the indicative mood. In general, it is the normal verb form, indicating both action and state of being. Both Spanish and English have two other verb moods. One of them is the imperative mood, used in making direct commands. For example. the Spanish Hazlo, and its direct English equivalent, Do it, use a verb in the imperative mood. A third mood, extremely common in Spanish and other Romance languages such as French and Italian, is the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive mood also exists in English, although we dont use it very much and its use is less common than it used to be. (The were in if I were you is an example of the subjunctive mood in English.) Without limiting yourself much, you can speak English for days and get by without using a subjunctive form. But that isnt true in Spanish. The subjunctive mood is essential to Spanish, and even many simple types of statements cant be made properly without it. In general, the subjunctive is a verb mood that is used to express an action or state of being in the context of the speakers reaction to it. Most commonly (although not always), the subjunctive verb is used in a clause that starts with the relative pronoun que (meaning which, that or who). Frequently, the sentences that contain a subjunctive verb are used to express doubt, uncertainty, denial, desire, commands, or reactions to the clause containing the subjunctive verb. Comparing the Indicative and Subjunctive Moods The most important differences between indicative and subjunctive moods can be seen by comparing two simple sentences: Indicative: Los hombres trabajan. (The men are working.)Subjunctive: Espero que los hombres trabajen. (I hope the men are working.) The first sentence is in the indicative mood, and the mens working is stated as a fact. In the second sentence, the mens working is placed in the context of what the speaker hopes for. It isnt particularly important to the sentence whether men work or not; what is important is the speakers reaction to it. Note also that while the Spanish distinguishes the subjunctive through the conjugation of trabajar, no such distinction is made in English. Although not common, sometimes a Spanish sentence using the subjunctive is translated to English using the subjunctive: Indicative: Insisto que Britney està ¡ sana. (I insist that Britney is healthy.)Subjunctive: Insisto en que Britney està © feliz. (I insist that Britney be happy.) Note how the first sentence in both languages asserts Britneys health as a fact. But in the second sentence, her health is stated as a strong desire. Insist is one of very few verbs in English that can trigger the subjunctive mood, but Spanish has thousands of such verbs. The following sentences show other reasons for using the subjunctive; note how a distinctive subjunctive form is used in English in only the final translation. Indicative (statement of fact): Britney està ¡ sana. (Britney is healthy.)Indicative (statement of fact): Sà © que Britney està ¡ sana. (I know that Britney is healthy.)Subjunctive (doubt): No es cierto que Britney està © sana. (It is uncertain that Britney is healthy.)Subjunctive (likelihood): Es probable que Britney està © sana. (It is likely that Britney is healthy.)Subjunctive (denial): No es verdad que Britney està © sana. (It is not true that Britney is healthy.)Subjunctive (reaction): Estoy feliz que Britney està © sana. (I am happy that Britney is healthy.)Subjunctive (permission): Es prohibido que Britney està ¡ sana. (It is prohibited for Britney to be healthy.)Subjunctive (desire): Espero que Britney està © sana. (I hope that Britney is healthy.)Subjunctive (preference): Preferimos que Britney està © sana. (We prefer that Britney be healthy.) Recognizing the Subjunctive Mood In everyday Spanish, the subjunctive is used in only two of the simple tenses, the present and the imperfect (a type of past tense). Although Spanish has a future subjunctive, it is nearly obsolete. While you may not need to memorize the subjunctive conjugations as a beginning Spanish student, becoming familiar with them can help you learn to recognize them.. Here are the subjunctive forms for regular -ar verbs, using hablar as an example: Present subjunctive: yo hable, tà º hables, usted/à ©l/ella hable, nosotros/nosotras hablemos, vosotros/vosotras hablà ©is, ellos/ellas hablen.Imperfect subjunctive: yo hablara, tà º hablara, usted/à ©l/ella hablara, nosotros/nosotras hablaramos, vosotros/vosotras hablareis, ellos/ellas hablaren. (There are two forms of the imperfect subjunctive. This one is the more common.) And the subjunctive forms for regular -er and -ir verbs using beber as an example: Present subjunctive: yo beba, tà º bebas, usted/à ©l/ella beba, nosotros/nosotras bebamos, vosotros/vosotras bebà ¡is, ellos/ellas beban.Imperfect subjunctive: yo bebiera, tà º bebieras, usted/à ©l/ella bebiera, nosotros/nosotras bebià ©ramos, vosotros/vosotras bebierais, ellos/ellas bebieran. The subjunctive perfect tenses and progressive tenses are formed by using the appropriate subjunctive form of haber or estar followed by the appropriate participle. Key Takeaways The subjunctive mood is a key aspect of Spanish grammar and is much more common in Spanish than it is in English.The subjunctive is used primarily for viewing a verbs action from the perspective of the speaker rather than stating it as a fact.The subjunctive mood is used in the present and imperfect tenses.