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Assignment 4 – Evaluating Miscellaneous Arguments


Name the type of argument, and use an appropriate method of evaluation.  In some cases, more than one type of argument may be involved.  In other cases, the example may contain information that is not part of the argument.

 

 

  1. For sociology class Janet was assigned to find out something about the opinions of Oakton students.  She designed a survey that asked students to rate the different classes that they had taken at Oakton.  She gave the survey to 100 students waiting in line to register for fall semester.  Her results indicated that 72% of  Oakton classes were rated excellent or good, 20% were rated fair, and 8% were rated poor.  Janet concluded that the majority of students might have very positive feelings about Oakton.










  2. Last year Elmer Jones was charged with murder. It was clear that Jones would been convicted if  the murder weapon had been found.  Since Jones was not convicted, I am sure that the murder weapon wasn’t found.










  3. If doctors are unwilling to treat patients with AIDS, they should leave the medical profession.  Some doctors say that they should not be obligated to undertake the very small risk that goes with treating an AIDS patient.  However, this is similar to a firefighter refusing to go into a burning building to save the people trapped inside.  There is a risk to the firefighter, but he or she agreed to undertake these risks when they choose their profession.  There are some risks to doctors most of which involve exposure to infectious diseases, but they agreed to undertake these risks when they became doctors.  Just as we would expect a firefighter who refused to go into a building to save people to find another line of work, we should ask doctors who refuse to treat AIDS patients to find another line of work.







  4. Only total fools ride motorcycles without helmets.   Since none of my friends are total fools, none of my friends ride motorcycles without helmets.












  5. Instead of requiring trigonometry, high schools should require logic.  Very few students will ever need trigonometry, but students will need to use logic every day of their lives.  They need logic to evaluate arguments presented by friends, politicians, and advertisers.  They need logic to critically examine their own opinions.  They need logic to help them critically evaluate the contents of their textbooks.  They need logic to be able to write effective argumentative essays.  Although some people may argue that trigonometry teaches abstract reasoning, logic does an even better job of teaching abstract reason.
















  6. It is clear that the introduction of the birth control pill has caused increased promiscuity.  A new study described in the Chicago Tribune has concluded that the availability of effective oral contraception has led to a great increase in sexual activity among teenagers. Now 80% of all teenagers are sexually active, whereas before the birth control pill was available, only 10% of teenage girls were sexually active.  Also, Reverend Samuel Culler was quoted as saying, "The availability of contraception causes teenagers who believe they are in love to become sexually active.  Of course, they are soon no longer in love, but then it becomes easier to have sex with someone just because they feel some attraction.  Soon they come to feel that sex is a necessary part of even a casual date. "  










  7. We should not spend the money to install a traffic light on Main Street.  It is true that there was a deadly accident there last week, but putting up a traffic light after last week’s deadly accident is like locking the barn door after the horse has been stolen.














  8. Some Oakton students take too many classes while working.  Since no one who takes too many classes while also working does well in school, some Oakton students do poorly in school.  A good example is my friend Keith who is taking 15 credits and working full-time in a bar as well; he just barely passing his classes.  The same is true of my brother Sam.