Informal logic

a contemporary context it becomes easier to understand the opposing views and to make decisions about truth based upon them. Leibniz and Hume have two very different ideas when it comes to truth and knowledge. As a radical thinker, Leibniz uses logic and identity statements to build his claim for the existence of truth and knowledge. Hume, on the other hand is an empirical thinker, who believes that all knowledge comes from sense experience. By using these differing methods of thinking,…

Critical Reasoning: The Battle of Trenton SSG Donald Harper SLC Class# 15-001 Abstract This critical reasoning paper is about the Battle of Trenton. I will explain a little bit about the Revolutionary War in which the battle was fought. After, I will talk about the battle itself and what happened during. I will tell you about the plans and strategies of each side and finally the outcome. These will all be facts I have gathered and my references will be listed at the end. After the references,…

In the mid-20th century, a renowned philosopher H.J. McCloskey wrote an attention-grabbing article called “On being and Atheist”. In McCloskey article, he argues on how the existences of God fails to be proven or sustained. The author argues that there is insufficient arguments to prove a theist belief while accrediting an atheistic point of view. The following essay is a response to McCloskey article from a different angle. The Cumulative case that is presents in the article and argued against…

In Hilary Putnam's "Brains in a Vat" theory, he argues against ontological, external-world skepticism. However, his arguments seem very unconvincing in some places. In this paper I will go over Putnam's "Brains in a Vat" theory and then I will specify where I think Putnam's arguments are not sufficient enough to satisfy myself. Before I present my criticism, I will briefly summarize Putnam's argument. Consider an ant crawling on a beach that accidentally outlines a picture of Winston…

“Truth is rarely pure and never simple.” Is that the truth? In season 4 opener of the famous British TV drama show, Sherlock, the titular character lies about his death, so he can investigate a case without interference from the other characters. He wants to separate himself from his closest friends, so he can discover the truth himself. As Sherlock finds out, the truth is complicated, and he wades through lies and discovers the truth in the end. Even though people lie to avoid the truth, the…

A rhetorical analysis simply “breaks down” the text from the “whole” into “pieces” in order to understand how the authors write and what rhetorical patterns they adopt to achieve their goals – that is, usually, to convey a main idea or a message to the audience. This paper will help the reader have a deeper look and understanding of a famous speech “A left-handed commencement address” by Ursula K. Le Guin by analyzing in detail her effective use of rhetorical elements, including subject, thesis…

This is an essay written by Kavana Gonur. This is an essay that will amaze you. This is an essay that you will never forget. Believe me. I was taught this very style- the 3+1 method- in my introductory speech and debate class as a way to write an interesting, unforgettable introduction or conclusion. It has proven me not only success in speech and debate, but as a way to convey meaning and my point in a straightforward manner. In my opening sentences, I used a rhetorical device called an…

Rhetorical Analysis of “The Relativity of Wrong” by Isaac Asimov In the rebuttal “The Relativity of Wrong,” Isaac Asimov effectively utilizes various simple and complex rhetorical strategies to logically present his persuasive counter-argument; namely by the use of Ad hominem retorts, subtle aporia, and exemplification. These rhetorical strategies rely mostly on an empirical and logical premise but must be primarily interpreted to understand Asimov’s actual purpose. One of the primary arguments…

The history of critical thinking doc1 The intellectual roots of critical thinking are as ancient as its etymology, traceable, ultimately, to the teaching practice and vision of Socrates 2,500 years ago who discovered by a method of probing questioning that people could not rationally justify their confident claims to knowledge. Confused meanings, inadequate evidence, or self-contradictory beliefs often lurked beneath smooth but largely empty rhetoric. Socrates established the fact that one…

The premises of an argument are just as important as the conclusion they are defending. The purpose of premises in an argument is to validate the conclusion. There are many approaches one can take to display their reasons in a logical manner.Three of the major supporting strategies are linear support, branching support, and joint support. Arguments do not need to have an abundance of reasons for its conclusion to be deemed legitimate. Linear support is an example of this. Linear support…