week ( Nov. 13- Nov.19 ) - q2

I think that the mission critical website is very good. I find it useful but I think some changes still need to be done to it. I like the index since I do not need to search through pages and it is very easy to use. I like that it’s online that way no book needs to be carried or bought and it is very easy to reach at any time. Over all works great. When I was looking through it I found the exercises helpful since they give you the right answer right away and it is explained/ broken down to simple lettering that can be followed. Un like a book that might not have the answer or that might have the answer right next to it that can be seen without trying the exercise before.  I think it can be a bit confusing since I had never used it before and I had to understand and tried to figure out how it worked. 

week ( Nov. 13- Nov.19 ) - q1

In cause and effect reading the reading was helpful as well the exercises because the reading connects the topic to claims that we have read about the entire semester. The reading explains there is a “very strong relationship” between the two claims and that normal conditions are normally assumed. Normally conditions are obvious claims that are there and do not need to be stated to say a cause and effect have a strong/ valid relationship. The exercises give you a taste how it would be approached in a regular situation. Then sometimes it is easier to understand it from the examples/ exercises than the actual writing. Such the first exercise gives a broken down example of particular and general cause and effects. The actual exercise is easy to follow because it shows a real example instead of the Spot barked and Dick woke up. Then after that exercise it is easier to connect it to “the police car‘s siren got me to pull over” which can be seen as a general because a police siren will make anyone to pull over to the side. 

week ( Nov. 13- Nov.19 ) - q3 concept

The part that I found most interesting in the reading is Criteria for cause and effect this seem most useful because it not only tells what is necessary but furthers the explanation of what “cause and effect” is. In Critical thinking by Richard L. Epstein it says gives the list needed for the cause and effect: the cause happened, the effect happened, the cause preceded the effect, almost impossible for cause to happen and effect not to happen given normal conditions, the cause makes a difference, there is no common cause (307).  The “summery” says that a cause and effect is composed of those things so if it does not have them then it is not a cause and effect. It explains that a cause and effect has two parts that have to happen which are the cause and the effect. Then further says that the effect must happen after the cause and that there is no almost no possible way for the cause to happen and the effect not to take place. Furthermore, it points out that there can no be any other reason for the effect besides the cause. 

week ( Nov. 6- Nov.12 ) - q3 concept

The part that I was most intrigued by is, understanding “reasoning by analogy”. If the concept itself is broken down “reasoning” means to conclude, then “analogy” is a comparison when place together it means to conclude from comparison.  The meaning is most understandable in the summary of the chapter on page 259 and page 253; the critical thinking text book says “when drawing a conclusion from a comparison, we are reasoning from analogy” (259).  This means that when a conclusion is drawn for a situation the same conclusion should be drawn for a similar. The fact that reasoning by analogy can be applied to law is very interesting. I had never thought that law had such complexity. When trying to connect a case to the law judges must find the most fitted way to connect the case to the written laws. I always knew “the law” could not be changed overnight but the truth that trying to change is law takes a complete breakdown that would disconnect it to older case. 

week ( Oct. 30- Nov. 5) - q2 pg 195

Make up an appeal to some emotion for the nest time a traffic officer stops you.

Oh. Officer was I going over the speed limit? I am truly sorry, I had just has a hard day at school and work. I am just so tired going to school full time and also work full time. I promise to place aside everything else and pay complete attention to the speedometer from now on. I am sure a strong, intellectual and very understanding officer like you can understand that I did not mean to speed.

In this statement I am appealing to pity and to vanity. I first make myself seem miserable from school and work which he or she can probably connect with. The appeal a full time job with full time school may pull some pity appeal from the officer. Then I appeal to vanity by saying how strong, smart and understandable he (hopefully) or she look like

week ( Oct. 30- Nov. 5) - q3 concept

The concept that I liked the most was appeal to vanity because most humor movies have some in it. The appeal to vanity is appealing to what you feel proud of. For example, appealing to vanity would be going to a teacher and saying that you think you (the student) deserve an “A” in class because he or she is a great teacher. The reason the student is giving has nothing to do with class but they are appealing to the teachers teaching skills. In school we all remember “the teacher’s pet”, or maybe you were “the teacher’s pet” a nickname placed on the student that could try so hard to connect to the teacher by saying he or she was the best teacher they had ever had or they would simply compliment anything the teacher did. “The teacher’s pet” had a great understanding of how to appeal to the teacher’s vanity. Like in humor movies there is always the girl flirting with the security guard trying to distract the guard from noticing the people breaking into the building. They normally appeal to vanity by pointing out how strong they look or smart. I think appeal to vanity can be great to deal with.  

week ( Oct. 30- Nov. 5) - q1

In chapter 10 the appeal that strikes me the most would be appeal to fear because it can cause a lot of change. The appeal to fear is to connect to the fear people have, to persuade them to agreeing with their argument. Over the years we have seen the repetition of fear being used to hurt other humans beings that should had never been hurt. For example, reservation camps that have been used when America has felt threaten for it security, those camps were suggested by someone and the whole country agreed as they were scared by something else. The most recent would be “weapons of mass destruction” that war lasted so many years but as many of you may know we are still in Iraq fighting against “terror”. That war was started by appealing to the fear the country was in after 9-11. Appealing to fear has changed history over the years and not just in this country. As this appeal can be used to elect a person as Mayor it can also be used to harm other.