Monday, May 05, 2008
Preparing for Test #5
This test will cover Arguments from Analogy and Causal Arguments. Be able to:
Define:
analogy
cause
correlation
constant correlation
positive correlation
negative correlation
coincidence
common cause
post hoc/false cause fallacy
Identify
- arguments from analogy from mere analogies
- causal arguments
- post hoc/false cause fallacies
Evaluate
- Arguments from analogy, using the seven steps for evaluation
- Causal arguments, using the process of elimination strategy
Understand/explain
- that not every position can be defended by an argument from analogy.
- that offering a weak argument from analogy will do more harm than good.
- that we can't see causal relationships; we can only infer them.
- that a cause must precede the event in time
- that even a strong correlation is insufficient to prove causation
- that causal arguments can be manipulated to persuade an audience.
- the conditions under which there is no correlation between events
- that part of the significance of the correlation depends on the size of the sample
- four ways to explain a correlation
- that not all causal arguments contain the word cause
- list causal argument identifier words