Give me an example of unsound and invalid arguments?

Answer 1

Look at the State of the Union Address before the IOraq invasion

Answer 2

Check out the difference between deductive arguments and inductive arguments in your text. You need to know the difference! The two types of arguments are structured differently and evaluated differently. Deductive arguments draw or "deduce" from the premises. I am using deductive reasoning when I say,



Every philosopher is a good mechanic. Emily is a philosopher. So, Emily is a good mechanic.



Inductive reasoning is a "building on" process. Do you ever watch CSI on TV? You might say the forensics put pieces of evidence together to "predict" what actually happened. We use inductive reasoning in everyday life all the time. For example,



The last five times I went bowling, I couldn't score over 130. I'm going bowling today, and I bet I won't bowl higher than 130 today either.



When I make that statement (inductive argument) about bowling, I am "building on" my experience. I don't intend for my argument to be valid. Validity is not the issue with inductive arguments. We use the words "valid" or "invalid" when referring to deductive arguments. When we use inductive arguments, we describe them as either "strong" or "weak". An inductive argument is strong if, whenever all its premises are true, the conclusion is unlikely to be false. Is my argument about what I will probably bowl a strong argument?



Did anyone use an inductive argument in their examples for this week?



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Argument Validity Example starter



Argument:

Adolescents have not yet developed the emotional maturity and logical reasoning skills needed to evaluate advertising claims and separate fact from fiction.



Premises:

Adolescence is a transitional time between youth and maturity when teens struggle to assert their independence and develop a sense of self.





Mass media plays a pervasive role in communicating society’s idea of attractiveness.





This sends a powerful message to adolescents at a time when they are shaping their opinions and their belief systems.



Conclusion:

Therefore, adolescents are much more susceptible and willing to accept mass media advertising portrayals at face value.





This inductive argument is considered good because the premises, which define adolescence, the role of the media and the impact of their message on adolescents, lay groundwork for accepting the conclusion that adolescents accept media advertising at face value.



I see from this exercise that my argument is not necessarily valid because the conclusion does not absolutely positively follow from the premises. One could accept the premises yet still conclude that although adolescents are struggling to mature and the media is sending powerful messages, at least some adolescents are capable of separating fact from fiction or that their susceptibility stems from reasons other than the fact that they are adolescents.



Though there may be other reasons why adolescents are influenced by media, the reasons (premises) in my argument are factual. It is a strong argument because assuming the premises are true, it is unlikely that the conclusion is false.

Answer 3

In invalid reasoning, even though the statements used for premises are true, the conclusion is false because of some sort of faulty logic.

This is an example of invalid reasoning called CONVERSE ERROR: When Suzie went out, her parents told her that if she wasn't back by midnight, she would be in trouble. She went out partying and got drunk, but made sure she was back by midnight. Therefore she was sure she wouldn't be in trouble. (It is invalid reasoning, because she's trying to turn the statement If A, then B into one that says if B, then A.)

Here is an example of invalid reasoning called INVERSE ERROR: If you are President of the United States, then you earn over $400,000 a year. Bill Gates is not president of the United States. Therefore he doesn't earn over $400,000 a year. (It is invalid reasoning, because they're trying to put "not" into a positive statement.)

Here is an example of invalid reasoning called IMPROPER INDUCTION: Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana, and it is the largest city in that state. Des Moines is the capital of Iowa, and it is the largest city in that state. Boston is the capital of Massachusetts, and it is the largest city in that state. Therefore, since Albany is the capital of New York, it is the largest city in New York state. (It's invalid reasoning, because it's assuming a pattern that hasn't been proven will continue.)

Answer 4

The sun rises and the birds sing. The sun sets, and again the birds sing. So the rising and setting of the sun is controlled by birdsongs.

Here is a whole list of unsound and invalid arguments:

Answer 5

1+1+3
The Moon is made of cheese
The Earth is Flat

Answer 6

Emily is a girl. Emily has brown eyes. Lee has brown eyes, so Lee must also be a girl.