1. Arguments A falasafaz! presentation 1

2. Which arguments? Not this More like this 2

3. Defining Arguments An argument is a connected series of statements intended to establish a proposition. Reasons – and the relations between them – determine whether we should logically accept a particular conclusion. 3

4. Activity #1 Using the video (click here or the witch): here What reasons are offered to logically support the conclusion that ‘she is a witch’? 4

5. How do you know she’s a witch? (1)She looks like a witch – she’s dressed like a witch, is wearing a pointy hat, has a pointy nose, and she even has a wart. Therefore, she’s a witch. Problem: The villagers dressed her as a witch. Not only is her looking like a witch an illusion, but it isn’t one she’s responsible for. 5

6. How do you know she’s a witch? (2)She turned the villager into a newt (even though he got better). Problem: ???? 6

7. How do you know she’s a witch? You burn witches You also burn wood So witches must burn because they’re made of wood 7

8. How do you know she’s a witch? NO. You can make bridges out of stone or wood, so making a bridge out of her won’t tell you if she’s wood. But! As well as burning, wood also floats. Ducks also float. Therefore… 8 Make a bridge out of her?

9. How do you know she’s a witch? If the woman weighs the same as a duck… Then she’s a witch. 9

10. Recap on arguments 10 Reasons Conclusions Assumptions Inference Implications

11. Evaluating arguments? Are the reasons true? Are the reasons relevant and significant to the conclusion? Is the inference valid? Is the conclusion plausible? 11

12. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ 12