Induction and Deduction and Fallacies
Paper details
Critical Reasoning Assignment #4: Final
Induction and Deduction and Fallacies
25 points Total
You may submit your assignment earlier than the due date.
It is very important that final assignments be on time. Extensions will only be granted if there is an emergency. Contact me if there is an emergency.
Part I of this assignment is based on the article, œWhy Anti-Oxidants Don’t Belong in Your Workout, by Gretchen Reynolds, from the New York Times, for which a link is provided below.
http://nyti.ms/1FqvQYw
Within this article, there are two hyperlinks to abstracts of 2 different studies. However, the second link is the link to the most recent study that this article addresses in more detail. You are not required to follow these hyperlinks, but you may do so, if you want. The focus of the essay in Part I is on how the media reports the study or studies, and not how the study or studies appear in peer-reviewed journals.
¦
Part I: Induction: 18 points (See the various electronic reserves articles and handouts listed in the questions below.)
After reading the above article from the NY Times, œWhy Anti-Oxidants Don’t Belong in Your Workout, interweave the answers to the following questions (both #1 and #2) into one essay of approximately 2 “ 3 double-spaced pages. Your essay may be longer than 3 pages.
1)Analyze and evaluate all the elements in the research design used in this study insofar as the design is addressed or reported in this article. Use the electronic reserves articles, œInductive Generalizations from œBecoming a Critical Thinker by Sherry Diestler (found on Blackboard Learn), and the handout on statistical surveys (from this same book and author), whichever one is most relevant to this study for a guideline as to what elements should be in either statistical research or research design and what criteria one should be using to evaluate statistical research or research designs. (For evaluation of the research, you may want to draw upon both articles, regardless of which design is more applicable to this study.) If there are elements of the research design or statistical research that have been omitted from this news report of the research, be sure to point out what has been omitted and why it would be important to know about the omitted elements.
AND (in the same essay)
2) Report and evaluate any research findings found in the above study, according to the criteria for evaluating either a statistical study or research design (whichever is applicable Clarify what, if any, claims about causes, are made, and/or what, if any, correlations are established by this study and/or what the results of this study were (whichever of these is most applicable to the article). Explain what the difference between a correlation and a cause is. Indicate whether you think enough evidence has been shown to support any claims about cause or any other claims or conclusions drawn from this study. Are there some possible alternative explanations for the study’s results, and, if so, what might they be? Are there further questions you would want the researchers to answer before you accepted their findings, and, if so what are some of these questions? Do you have any recommendations as to what further research could be done along these lines? Lastly, are causal generalizations (as a type of inductive generalization) ever absolutely certain, and why or why not?
¦
Answers to this question should be based on our discussion of the handout on cause and correlation and margin of error; and any of the electronic reserves articles assigned for this unit, such as œCausal Analysis from œThe Elements of Reasoning by Ronald Munson; and œProposing Explanations from œA Beginner’s Guide to Scientific Method, by Stephen Carey; and œChoice and Chance, by B. Skyrms. You should also draw upon the articles on course reserves mentioned in question #1 above, as well as chapter 5 of your text.
Be sure to answer all parts of questions #1 and #2 in one coherent essay. The main difference between this question #2 and the above question #1 is that the above question #1 addresses the design of the research, while this question #2 addresses the findings of the research. However, evaluation of the findings of the research are related to the design of the research, so there may be some overlap in your answers. Therefore, you should combine your answers to #1 and #2 in one essay, but make sure you completely answer both sets of questions.
Part II: Deduction: 2 points (See chapter 5 in your text, as well as the electronic reserves article on œDeduction.)
2) Is this a valid argument? Is it sound? State your reasons in answering these questions. Make sure you explain what validity is, and what soundness it. However, in answering these questions, make sure you also clearly explain how the following argument is or is not, valid; and is or is not sound, by specifically also addressing the argument.
Everyone who studies logic enjoys horror films.
Everyone who enjoys horror films likes Dawn of the Dead.
Therefore, everyone who studies logic likes Dawn of the Dead.
Part III: Fallacies: 5 points (See chapter 7 in your text, as well as the link in the assigned readings to Hurley’s list of fallacies.)
Create a short 1 page argument that contains at least 4 fallacies (and possibly more) that we discussed in class. Then identify each of these fallacies in parentheses after you use each one, and discuss in an additional paragraph how they are fallacies. This should be one brief œbad argument on a specific issue or topic of your choice “ no research is expected. You should not be giving me 4 separate examples of fallacies on diverse topics, and you should not be using examples of fallacies found online or elsewhere.
