Transcript
Philosophy 170
Assignment #2
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Critical Reasoning
Underlined = Premises
Bold = Conclusion
1. Mike Tyson, Steve Howe, and Vince Coleman are professional athletes and all have engaged in criminal activity. It must be the case that most professional athletes are criminals.
2. Since a is greater than b, and c is greater than d, it follows that a + c is greater than b + d. (a, b, c, d = real numbers).
3. Either the bumps on people’s head are indicators of personality characteristics, or phrenology is a fraud. The bumps on people’s head are not indicators of personality characteristics. Therefore, phrenology is a fraud.
4. Both Richard Nixon and Ronal Reagan were Republican presidents from California. So, all Republican presidents are from California.
5. All criminal are murderers. And all murderers belong in jail. So, all criminal belong in jail.
6. CSULB is located in southern California and is relatively crime-free. UC San Diego is also located in southern California. So, it must be the case that UC San Diego is also relatively crime-free.
7. All of the grapes that have been observed (in the history of the world) have been green. So, the next grapes to be observed will be green.
8. Both Dorothy and Olivia have trouble seeing distant objects clearly. After purchasing a pair of prescription glasses, however, Dorothy reports that she can see perfectly. Therefore, if Olivia purchases a pair of glasses identical to Dorothy’s, her vision should be as good as Dorothy’s is now.
9. If an efficient battery is developed, then electric cars will become commonplace. If electric cars become commonplace, then air pollution will decline. Therefore, if an efficient battery is developed, then air pollution will decline.
10. Mark Thompson is a plagiarizer. Therefore, it follows that he has used other people’s work without giving credit.
11. Some cabbages are peanuts and all peanuts are vegetable. Therefore, some cabbages are vegetables.
12. Jackie has the same bone structure and skin tone as her sister Jean. Since Jean is possessed of a singularly nasty temperament, it follows that Jackie’s temperament is nasty as well.
13. Cholesterol is endogenous with humans. Therefore, it is manufactured inside the human body.
14. When Tom drove his car out of the driveway this morning there were oil stains on the pavement. These stains were not there when he drove the car in the night before. We conclude that Tom’s car is leaking oil.
15. Although both front and rear doors were found open after the burglary, there were pry marks around the lock on the rear door and deposits of mud near the threshold. It must be the case that the thief entered through the rear door and left through the front.
16. Amoco, Exxon, and Texaco are all listed on the new York Stock Exchange. It must be the case that all major American oil companies are listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
17. The label on the tube of Crest toothpaste says that the contents contains sodium flurried. Therefore, it must be the case that Crest really does contain this chemical.
18. If cigarette smoking costs $65 billion annually in health care and lost productivity, then cigarette taxes should be raised to reflect this cost. But cigarette smoking does cost $65 billion annually in health care and lost productivity. Therefore, cigarette taxes should be raised to reflect this cost.
19. The National Questioner (known for its sensationalist journalism) reports that a young boy in Oklahoma has spoken with Martians. Thus, we must draw the conclusion that Martians do indeed exist.
20. Last night the water pipes in the basement burst. Since the temperature outside was well below zero at that time, the conclusion is warranted that the damage was caused by freezing.
21. The clock in the church tower just struck twelve o’clock noon. Since Dr, Bartel’s philosophy class is scheduled to start at noon, it follows that Dr. Bartel’s class must be starting about now.
22. Since Ann and Bill have the same natural parents, it follows that they are siblings.
23. It seems that the will of God is changeable. For the Lord says (Gen. vi. 7): “It repenteth Me that I have made man.” But whoever repents of what he has done, has a changeable will. Therefore, God has a changeable will.
24. The simplest form of the theological argument from design, was once well known under the name of “Paley’s watch.” Paley’s form of it was just this: “[I]f we found by chance a watch or other piece of intricate mechanism, we should infer that it had been made by someone. But all around us we do find intricate pieces of natural mechanism, and the processes of the universe are seen to move together in complex relations. We should therefore infer that these too have a Maker.”
25. It is evident from the habits of the people and from our past experience that it is not practical to raise any very considerable sums by direct taxation. Tax laws have in vain been multiplied; new methods to enforce the collection have in vain been tried; the public expectation has been uniformly disappointed, and the treasuries of the state have remained empty.
29. Alice sits somewhere between Barbara and Carl, and Barbara sits somewhere in between Carl and Dave. So, Alice must sit somewhere in between Carl and Dave.
30. Since tests proved that it took at least 2.3 seconds to operate the bolt on Oswald’s rifle, Oswald obviously could not have fired three times - hitting Kennedy twice and Connally once - in 5.6 seconds or less.
