GARY MOD 5 ASSIGN
Name:
Module 5 Exercises: Deductive Reasoning
5A. In Dirty Politics: Deception, Distraction and Democracy, Kathleen Hall Jamieson surveys American presidential elections from 1960 to 1988. One conclusion she draws is the 1960 and 1980 elections stand out from the others in that they showed an increased level of “engagement” on the part of the public and the press. She writes:
Asking what it was about the 1960 and 1980 campaigns that produced engagement on policy and useful governance is instructive. Both were close elections. And in close elections, the press and the candidates behave differently. Both candidates see advantage in providing the press and public with access. Increased, as a result, are well-publicized news conferences with the national press, participation in interview shows, and willingness to debate. At the same time, when the race is close the press makes better use of the access it is given. Press questions are more likely to focus on substance than strategy; and one candidate is not burdened with a greater percent of strategy questions than the other. (259)
Jamieson’s observations involve some deductive inferences. One of them can be diagramed as follows. Fill in the blank in the second premise.
1) In close elections, the press and candidates behave differently.
2) The 1960 and 1980 elections were __________close___Good-1pt______________.
3) Therefore, in the 1960 and 1980 elections, the press and the candidates behave differently.
5B. Consider the following syllogism:
1) All borogroves are mimsy.
2) Kaloobafak is a borogrove.
3) Therefore, Kaloobafak is mimsy.
Is this deduction valid? Choose one: Yes [ X ] No [ ] Can’t say [ ]Good 1pt
5C. As we’ve noted, in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig writes that
Deductive inferences . . . start with general knowledge and predict a specific observation. For example if, from reading the hierarchy of facts about the machine, the mechanic knows
Module 5 Exercises: Deductive Reasoning
5A. In Dirty Politics: Deception, Distraction and Democracy, Kathleen Hall Jamieson surveys American presidential elections from 1960 to 1988. One conclusion she draws is the 1960 and 1980 elections stand out from the others in that they showed an increased level of “engagement” on the part of the public and the press. She writes:
Asking what it was about the 1960 and 1980 campaigns that produced engagement on policy and useful governance is instructive. Both were close elections. And in close elections, the press and the candidates behave differently. Both candidates see advantage in providing the press and public with access. Increased, as a result, are well-publicized news conferences with the national press, participation in interview shows, and willingness to debate. At the same time, when the race is close the press makes better use of the access it is given. Press questions are more likely to focus on substance than strategy; and one candidate is not burdened with a greater percent of strategy questions than the other. (259)
Jamieson’s observations involve some deductive inferences. One of them can be diagramed as follows. Fill in the blank in the second premise.
1) In close elections, the press and candidates behave differently.
2) The 1960 and 1980 elections were __________close___Good-1pt______________.
3) Therefore, in the 1960 and 1980 elections, the press and the candidates behave differently.
5B. Consider the following syllogism:
1) All borogroves are mimsy.
2) Kaloobafak is a borogrove.
3) Therefore, Kaloobafak is mimsy.
Is this deduction valid? Choose one: Yes [ X ] No [ ] Can’t say [ ]Good 1pt
5C. As we’ve noted, in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig writes that
Deductive inferences . . . start with general knowledge and predict a specific observation. For example if, from reading the hierarchy of facts about the machine, the mechanic knows