Consider the following conversation: Vera Zad : I heard you were dead! Ben Mitzi
ID: 3013525 • Letter: C
Question
Consider the following conversation:
Vera Zad : I heard you were dead!
Ben Mitzing: Nope. I’m alive. Why aren’t you happier to see me?
Vera Zad: Because the person I heard from is much more credible than you.
If you had a reason to (ruin the joke and) interpret Vera’s response in terms of arguments, you might say that Vera is (mistakenly) contrasting the strength of two different arguments from authority. How did we evaluate arguments from authority?
We put them into the form: all/some/no As are Bs, all/some/no Bs are Cs, so all/some/no As are Cs and then checked for validity with a Venn diagram.
We put them into the form of Statistical Syllogisms and checked them against the criteria for that form.
We evaluated them as analogies and looked for relevant similarities between the expert’s statements and the facts.
We learned the definition of the ‘False Authority Fallacy.
Consider the argument:
No one has offered any long-term studies that show that GMOs are safe for consumption as food. So food product GMOs are not safe in the long-term.
This argument is best characterized as:
An argument from authority
A sampling argument (or inductive generalization)
A circumstantial ad hominem
An appeal to ignorance
Reconsider the argument:
No one has offered any long-term studies that show that GMOs are safe for consumption as food. So food product GMOs are not safe in the long-term.
Which of the following claims is the most relevant for evaluating the reliability of the argument?
The producers of GMOs benefit from our believing that they are safe whether they are or not.
Since food GMOs have only been around since the mid-1990s no long term studies have been possible.
The food GMOs that haven’t been studied long-term are a large and representative subset of all food GMOs.
Both the proponents and opponents of GMOs have been guilty of personal attacks against their opponents.
a.We put them into the form: all/some/no As are Bs, all/some/no Bs are Cs, so all/some/no As are Cs and then checked for validity with a Venn diagram.
b.We put them into the form of Statistical Syllogisms and checked them against the criteria for that form.
c.We evaluated them as analogies and looked for relevant similarities between the expert’s statements and the facts.
d.We learned the definition of the ‘False Authority Fallacy.
Explanation / Answer
1. Option (d) We learned the definition of the ‘False Authority Fallacy.
2. Option (d) An appeal to ignorance
3. Option (a) The producers of GMOs benefit from our believing that they are safe whether they are or not.
Related Questions
drjack9650@gmail.com
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.