Last Week Discussion #3

One concept that I feel can use further discussion is the section on fallacies. I understand the general concepts of each one, however, I do think that there should have been more time and exercises spent on using and critiquing these fallacies. Moreover, I am not confident in defining each fallacy on my own. I would most likely need to look up the definition in order to recall what the term means. I feel like fallacies are essential in arguments because people typically use them, even if they do not realize that they are using them. Either way, fallacies make a person look foolish and people should have more practice in avoiding them. For instance, many people use the bad appeal to common belief or practice to convince someone to conform or to believe in a certain religion. If people do not realize that they are using these fallacies, they will continue to make unreasonable premises that often lead to invalid and weak conclusions.

Last Week Discussion #2

My favorite thing about this class was the fact that it was an online class. It was easy to fit in my schedule because I could write my assignments in school or at home. The accessibility of this class is very important for me because I have seven classes and I work. My least favorite thing about this class was the time frame for the posts such as waiting 12 hours between posts. It was difficult trying to figure out whether or not it has been 12 hours and if I could put up another post. However, I do understand the time frame is important because it gives people chances to comment earlier on in the week. Without the 12 hour gaps, people might put up all their posts last minute, leaving the comment portion to be delayed. This class can be improved by having the end period be Sunday 11:59pm rather than Saturday 11:59pm. Usually, this is the time period people think of when submitting assignments. Also, since most people go to school every day, the extra day on the weekend would help those people.

Last Week Discussion #1

I have learned that an argument is not as simple as I once thought it was. I never took into consideration how much effort and thought should be put into an argument. For instance, one must look for validity, strength, and whether or not the argument violates fallacies and appeal to emotion. Fallacies and appeal to emotion can weaken one’s argument and ultimately make the writer or speaker seem less credible because of the manipulation he or she may use for the audience to side with his or her argument. After taking this class, I have been able to strengthen my writing because my arguments have been more specific and more difficult to critique. I now understand that in order to get my point across, every word needs to count. Last, but not least, I have learned the importance of teamwork. Completing three different assignments with people I have never met was nerve wrecking. However, by reading the book on group communication, I have learned how to function effectively in a group such as setting group norms and making each member feel like they have an important role in the group process.

Week 12 Discussion #3

In chapter 15, cause and effect was discussed. I found the general cause and effect portion of the section to be most interesting. This type of claim is when several cause and effects must be true for the statement to be true. The example the book gave is as follows: Very loud barking by someone’s dog near him when he is sleeping causes him to wake, if he’s not deaf. The statement gives various conditions such as loudness, distance, and capabilities (deaf). Each factor is essential in the statement because it answers any possible question that may arise if the claim was simple such as: Spot barked and woke me up. This statement is not strong because it does not describe the situation thoroughly enough for the audience to understand the situation clearly. Furthermore, by stating the general cause and effect claim rather than the specific instance of Spot barking, the claim can be used by others.

Week 12 Discussion #2

The Mission Critical website was useful because it seemed to resemble the textbook for the class. It bolded important terms and gave a few examples to back up the concept being discussed. I felt that the website was just an e-book type for the course textbook. This method is possibly better for most people because it can link you to topics quickly instead of rummaging through hundreds of pages. Furthermore, I found the exercises to be most useful in this website. I generally do not even attempt to look at exercises in the books mainly because they either do not have an answer to them or they do not explain why one answer is better than another. However, in this website, the exercises were helpful because it told me why one answer was a better choice than the rest. This further helped me understand certain concepts because it eliminates any doubts and questions I have.

Week 12 Discussion #1

I found the Cause and Effect website reading and exercises to be extremely helpful in understanding causal arguments. The website gave a clear example of the truck and bicyclist as both an inductive and causal argument. For instance, the causal method of the argument was that one thing caused another such as the bicyclist swerving due to the illegally parked truck and the first driver braking quickly. A causal argument is different from an inductive argument primarily because in a causal argument, there is only one significance difference. For example, the truck driver did not affect the first driver because the bicyclist is the bridge between the two factors.

Moreover, I felt that the exercises helped me greatly in understanding this concept. Being able to identify how different factors can influence one another is important, especially if one is trying to find the root cause of the entire situation. For example, the exercise questioned the audience how we knew it was the potato salad that was causing the illness to a certain group of people and why other people were not affected.

Week 11 Discussion #3

In this week’s reading, I found the inductive reasoning to be most useful. Inductive reasoning is when one uses previous observations and experiences to make a conclusion. I find that personal experiences are most reliable when coming up with an argument because one has already seen and gone through whatever one wants the argument to be. Personal experiences and observations are valid evidence to make a valid statement, and even a strong argument.

Example: I had an allergic reaction when I ate peanuts at the age of five. Now being 19, I will most likely have an allergic reaction if I eat peanuts again.

Since I had an experience when I was younger, I can use that experience to predict the present and future possible outcomes. Inductive reasoning incorporates the idea of one needing to learn from one’s mistakes or of one using the past to improve the future. The past, our experiences and observations, are the realest things we have.