Phil04, Fall
09
First Homework
Section 2, due Wednesday, Sept. 9
Section 9, due Tuesday, Sept. 8
For each of items 1-13, determine whether it is an argument at all. If not, just write “no argument”. If it is an argument, write out each premise as a separate line, followed by the conclusion. Label the conclusion as such.
1. The child was a genius. She could read Greek at 5 and do calculus at 8, and she also played a wicked game of chess.
2. Some are morning people and some are evening people. Morning people do their best work when the sun rises, just as the night people are finishing theirs.
3. The use of cocaine is plainly and simply illegal. Therefore people who use it ought to be punished because we can’t just let people break the law anytime they want to. Thus, since your friend uses cocaine, she certainly ought to be punished. (Note that this passage contains two conclusions.)
4. TV today is filled with sex, violence, and trivial pandering. It is a vast wasteland.
5. Microsoft should be condemned for putting solitaire into Windows. Millions of hours have been wasted playing that stupid game.
6. Nurses should be responsible for preparing patients for discharge, since doctors are not always well informed on their patient’s psychological condition. And someone needs to assume this responsibility because many patients feel threatened by discharge from the hospital.
7. Background: This text is about a scandal in the 1990’s involving high-ranking military officers who were disciplined for their alleged adulterous relationships.
The real victims in the military adultery scandals are the wives of the generals. Many have spent their lives advancing their husbands careers. Not only must they bear public humiliation, but they also may face a lowered standard of living caused by their husbands’ forced retirements at reduced rank.
8. Do not go in your house if you have any reason to suspect that a burglar might still be inside. Searching the house for a cornered burglar is extremely dangerous and is a job best left for the police.
9. It’s high time professional boxing was outlawed. Boxing almost always leads to brain damage and anything that does that ought to be done away with. Besides, it supports organized crime.
10. If history is any gauge, the
11. Witches are real. They are mentioned in the Bible.
There are many people today who claim to be witches. And historical
records reveal that there were witches in
12. You’d better not pet that dog. She looks friendly but she’s been kown to bite.
13. Come on! There’s nothing wrong with cheating. Look around you! Everybody does it. Besides, what harm can come from one miserable freshman cheating a little in a general ed. course? I mean, it isn’t like the fate of the world depends on what grade I get in an introductory philosophy course.
14. Treat the following statement as the conclusion of an argument:
Marijuana should be legalized.
Make up one or more premises that, if true, would be relevant support for that statement.
15. Treat the following statement as the conclusion of an argument:
Marijuana should not be legalized.
Make up one or more premises that would, if true, be relevant support for that statement.