12phil 100 General Logichomework Assignment 4
Reconstructing Argum
Reconstruct the arguments contained in the passages below, following the argument reconstruction rules on pg. 65 of your textbook. This includes ten required problems and one extra credit problem. You may work in groups and submit group work. The due date is at the start of class on Monday, September 28.
The following ten passages each contain an argument that needs to be reconstructed according to the rules of argument analysis. This exercise aims to develop critical thinking skills by dissecting everyday and scholarly statements into their logical components. In your reconstruction, identify the premises and conclusion, clarify ambiguous language, and organize the argument in a clear, logical structure. Remember that an argument is a set of statements, where premises are reasons offered in support of a conclusion. Your reconstruction should faithfully represent the logical flow of each passage, making explicit any implied assumptions or inferences. Use the criteria and guidelines provided in your textbook on page 65 to facilitate accurate and consistent reconstruction of each argument.
Problem 1
Electronic cigarettes are smokeless. Hence they come without the carcinogenic elements present in the tobacco smoke. (Source: Press Release, “Benefits of Electronic Cigarettes in 2014, as Revealed by V2CigsDeals.com, January 22, 2014.)
Problem 2
Georgia is a transit point for Caspian and Central Asian oil and gas, thus it is critical to Turkey’s ambitions to become an energy hub and to diversify its own energy supplies. (Source: Michael Reynolds, “Turk Troubles in Caucasus,” World Bulletin, September 1, 2008.)
Problem 3
Local food tastes better because it retains its nutrients. (Source: Jesús González, quoted in Elizabeth Khuri, “Cooking Local,” Los Angeles Times Magazine, October 14, 2007, p. 60.)
Problem 4
A lot of hip-hop artists don’t have the ability to make classic songs because they spend most of their time rapping about themselves rather than what people care about. (Source: Kanye West, quoted in Nui Te
Koha, “Kanye West – the Ego Has Landed,” Herald Sun, September 17, 2007.)
Problem 5
Current world population estimates of Armenians range from 6 million to 8 million. About 3.5 million live in Armenia, so most Armenians live outside their homeland. (Source: Berge Bulbulian, The Fresno Armenians, 2000, p. 6.)
Problem 6
There is likely extra traffic on the 5 through Elysian Park tonight because there is a Dodgers game, and extra traffic occurs whenever they play. (Source: Traffic Report, KNX Los Angeles, June 6, 2005.)
Problem 7
Hybrid technology is unsuited to small cars because they are already fuel-efficient and lack enough space to accommodate larger hybrid systems. (Source: Kaho Shimizu, “Different Roads to Eco-Friendly Vehicles,” Japan Times, May 22, 2007.)
Problem 8
Many trans women are sex workers, but not because they wish to be sexual objects; rather, they often turn to this work due to limited economic opportunities available to them. (Source: Julia Serano, Whipping Girl, 2007, p. 261.)
Problem 9
If you plan to have a baby someday, start eating foods rich in folic acid now because it can help prevent neural tube defects that occur early in pregnancy. (Source: March of Dimes, “Self,” March 2007, p. 98.)
Problem 10
Robert Gibbs, the Press Secretary, is probably nervous before his first White House press briefing because if he were not, he would not be human. This reasoning is based on the assumption that nervousness is a human trait in such circumstances. (Source: Joe Lockhart, MSNBC, January 22, 2009.)
Extra Credit Problem
Plant classification shows that spines are not the defining characteristic that distinguish cacti from other succulents. Some cacti are not prickly, and some prickly succulents are not cacti. Classification is based on
reproductive systems, not external traits like leaf form or prickliness. (Source: Martha Baker, ed., The World of Cactus and Succulents, 1977, p. 4.)
References
Bulbulian, B. (2000).
The Fresno Armenians: History of a Diaspora Community
. Fresno: The Press at California State University, Fresno.
González, J. (2007). Cooking local.
Los Angeles Times Magazine , October 14, p. 60.
Khuri, E. (2007). Cooking local.
Los Angeles Times Magazine , October 14, p. 60.
Reynolds, M. (2008). Turk Troubles in Caucasus.
World Bulletin . September 1.
Serano, J. (2007).
Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity . Seal Press.
Shimizu, K. (2007). Different roads to eco-friendly vehicles.
Japan Times . May 22.
March of Dimes. (2007). Folic Acid & Pregnancy.
Self
, March, p. 98.
Lockhart, J. (2009). The Nervousness of Robert Gibbs. MSNBC. January 22. Baker, M. (1977). The world of cactus and succulents. San Francisco: Ortho Books. Press Release. (2014). Benefits of electronic cigarettes. V2CigsDeals.com, January 22.