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What does inductive logic evaluate in an argument?
What does inductive logic evaluate in an argument?
Which statement correctly describes a cogent argument?
Which statement correctly describes a cogent argument?
What defines a weak argument in inductive logic?
What defines a weak argument in inductive logic?
What is a characteristic of deductive validity?
What is a characteristic of deductive validity?
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How does the strength of an inductive argument change?
How does the strength of an inductive argument change?
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In statistical syllogism, what is necessary for the conclusion to be probable?
In statistical syllogism, what is necessary for the conclusion to be probable?
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What does it mean if an argument is uncogent?
What does it mean if an argument is uncogent?
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What distinguishes inductive reasoning from deductive reasoning?
What distinguishes inductive reasoning from deductive reasoning?
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What is a characteristic of a strong inductive argument?
What is a characteristic of a strong inductive argument?
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Which method of Mill's Methods involves looking for a common factor present with an effect?
Which method of Mill's Methods involves looking for a common factor present with an effect?
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What does a sufficient condition imply in the context of Mill's Methods?
What does a sufficient condition imply in the context of Mill's Methods?
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What distinguishes a cogent argument in inductive reasoning?
What distinguishes a cogent argument in inductive reasoning?
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Which of these options best represents a fallacy in inductive reasoning?
Which of these options best represents a fallacy in inductive reasoning?
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What is the result of applying the method of difference in Mill's Methods?
What is the result of applying the method of difference in Mill's Methods?
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Which is necessary for a valid statistical syllogism?
Which is necessary for a valid statistical syllogism?
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In what situation would the method of agreement be ineffective?
In what situation would the method of agreement be ineffective?
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What is a characteristic that strengthens a statistical syllogism?
What is a characteristic that strengthens a statistical syllogism?
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Which of the following is an example of the fallacy of incomplete evidence?
Which of the following is an example of the fallacy of incomplete evidence?
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What does the argument from authority rely on?
What does the argument from authority rely on?
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Which option indicates a misstep when using an argument from authority?
Which option indicates a misstep when using an argument from authority?
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Which statement expresses a characteristic of the fallacy of incomplete evidence?
Which statement expresses a characteristic of the fallacy of incomplete evidence?
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In statistical syllogisms, what determines the strength of the reference class to the attribute class?
In statistical syllogisms, what determines the strength of the reference class to the attribute class?
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What is a consequence of relying solely on an induction by enumeration?
What is a consequence of relying solely on an induction by enumeration?
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How can an argument from authority be weakened?
How can an argument from authority be weakened?
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What is an enthymeme?
What is an enthymeme?
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In an argument diagram, what does an arrow from premise to conclusion represent?
In an argument diagram, what does an arrow from premise to conclusion represent?
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How can sub-conclusions be incorporated in argument diagrams?
How can sub-conclusions be incorporated in argument diagrams?
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Which of the following best describes a charitable interpretation of an argument?
Which of the following best describes a charitable interpretation of an argument?
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What is the primary function of diagrams in arguments?
What is the primary function of diagrams in arguments?
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What should be prioritized when reconstructing an argument?
What should be prioritized when reconstructing an argument?
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Why is it important to distinguish between sub-conclusions and final conclusions in an argument?
Why is it important to distinguish between sub-conclusions and final conclusions in an argument?
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What is a key characteristic of a well-crafted argument reconstruction?
What is a key characteristic of a well-crafted argument reconstruction?
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Which of the following illustrates a charitable interpretation of an argument?
Which of the following illustrates a charitable interpretation of an argument?
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In the provided argument, what is the final conclusion?
In the provided argument, what is the final conclusion?
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Which choice best defines an implicit premise in a given argument?
Which choice best defines an implicit premise in a given argument?
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What is the primary risk of misinterpreting an argument?
What is the primary risk of misinterpreting an argument?
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Which statement correctly identifies a flaw in an unfair rendition of an argument?
Which statement correctly identifies a flaw in an unfair rendition of an argument?
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Which of the following best illustrates the role of hedges in arguments?
Which of the following best illustrates the role of hedges in arguments?
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When formulating an argument, why is it important to employ uniform language?
When formulating an argument, why is it important to employ uniform language?
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Which of the following demonstrates the difference between a sub-conclusion and a final conclusion?
Which of the following demonstrates the difference between a sub-conclusion and a final conclusion?
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What is the importance of identifying implicit premises in an argument?
What is the importance of identifying implicit premises in an argument?
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Which of the following accurately describes a potential flaw in argument diagrams?
Which of the following accurately describes a potential flaw in argument diagrams?
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Why is charitable interpretation important in evaluating arguments?
Why is charitable interpretation important in evaluating arguments?
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Which statement reflects the challenge posed by informal language in rational arguments?
Which statement reflects the challenge posed by informal language in rational arguments?
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In which scenario might an assurance or hedge enhance the cogency of an argument?
In which scenario might an assurance or hedge enhance the cogency of an argument?
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Study Notes
Inductive Logic - Unit 2
- Logic is the study of methods for evaluating if the premises of an argument adequately support the conclusion
- Two types of logic:
- Deductive logic: Studies methods for evaluating whether the premises guarantee the conclusion.
- Inductive logic: Studies methods for evaluating whether the premises make the conclusion probable, without guaranteeing it.
- Inductive logic focuses on evaluating arguments for strength and weakness.
- A strong argument makes it probable that, if the premises are true, then the conclusion is also true
- A weak argument does not make it probable that, if the premises are true, then the conclusion is also true.
- A cogent argument is a strong argument in which all of the premises are true.
- An uncogent argument is either weak or strong, but with at least one false premise.
Statistical Syllogism
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In a statistical syllogism:
- A percentage of A are B
- C is an A
- So, C is a B -Where x is between 50-100 exclusive
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The strength of an inductive argument is determined by statistical syllogism.
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In statistical syllogism, the percentage is greater than 50 and less than 100.
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The statistical generalization need not be stated numerically; phrases like "almost all," "most," "very often," or "hardly ever" are frequently used.
Two Standards of the Strength of Statistical Syllogisms
- Percentage: The closer the percentage in the generalization is to 100%, the stronger the statistical syllogism is (a is a G, a is a non-G)
- Relevance of the reference class to the attribute class
Fallacy of Incomplete Evidence (Cherry-picking)
- The fallacy of incomplete evidence is committed when one fails to consider all available relevant evidence when choosing the reference class for one's statistical syllogism.
- Arguments can appear strong when they could be weak because relevant information has been omitted.
Arguments from Authority
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Is the authority reliable in the subject at issue?
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Are there other authorities who assert the opposite?
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Is the authority being misquoted or misinterpreted?
- Reliable authorities can make mistakes
Arguments from Enumeration
- A conclusion about all members of a class (population) is derived from premises about observed members of that class.
- Example: Eighty-two percent of a random sample of 200 UTECH students are sleep-deprived. Therefore, approximately 82% of UTECH students are sleep-deprived.
- Criteria: -Is the sample random? -Is the sample of an appropriate size? -Is the sample inaccurate due to psychological factors (e.g., the questions asked)?
Mill's Methods
- Methods for concluding that A causes B.
- Method of agreement: identifying a common factor present whenever the effect (B) is present
- Method of difference: comparing cases where an event occurs and a case where it does not occur
- Joint method: combining the methods of agreement and difference
- Method of concomitant variation: showing that as one factor varies, another varies in a corresponding way
- Method of residues: "subtracting out" known cause and attributing the rest to a new cause.
Scientific Way of Reasoning
- Mill's methods inform scientific reasoning by:
- Describing the problem
- Formulating hypothesis.
- Testing the hypothesis
Arguments from Analogy
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Structure:
- A is similar to B
- B has property P
- Therefore A has property P.
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Assessing analogies:
- What are the relevant similarities between A and B?
- Are there relevant differences?
- Are there other things similar to B (except A) that share or do not share property P?
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Analogies are often use in moral and legal reasoning.
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Description
Explore Unit 2 of Inductive Logic, focusing on the evaluation of arguments and the distinction between strong, weak, cogent, and uncogent arguments. Learn about statistical syllogisms and how statistics can support logical conclusions. This quiz will test your understanding of these vital concepts in logic.
