Week 6 - Post 2: Advertising on the Internet

Advertising on the internet has become more annoying than commercials on television. Even when you watch videos online, you are forced to watch a commercial before it starts. Not to mention, there are numerous ads on the sidebar of popular websites. For instance, I visited three different websites recently and saw ads for credit cards, new cars, and two different car insurance companies. The ad that I decided to investigate was for Progressive Auto Insurance. The ad reads across the top, “Progressive offers lots of discounts. See how you could save hundreds.” Next to this there is a button to push that states, “Get you free quote.” Upon clicking on the ad and providing your zip code, you are transferred to a different page that requests your personal contact information. Naturally, this would result in an unsuspecting person receiving piles of junk mail trying to get them to sign up for their insurance in the future. While they try to make these ads look friendly, they really just want people to sign up for their service. Most people will not “save hundreds” by switching from their old insurance company. If the prices were so incredibly low, they would be shown without requiring people to enter in personal information to try and hook them later after they have already closed the website window.

http://www.progressive.com/insurance/cre/display.aspx?&code=9903600306

Week 6 - Post 1: Repairing Arguments

The problem with many arguments is that they do not possess the proper premises to support their conclusion. An example of such an argument would be, “College students have too many expenses to pay. Therefore, a college student should not buy a new car.” In this example, the argument is stated, but there is not premise to support the conclusion. This example needs more detail to support the argument in question. By adding, “New cars are very expensive and require that monthly payments be made over several years,” the conclusion is justified much better. It is a well-known fact that college students face several expenses such as tuition, the cost of books, housing, and much more. As a result, this statement can stand on its own. However, the conclusion does not say why students should not buy a new car. By explaining the financial hardships of car payments, it is now clear why a student would not want to add another bill on top of the several they are already paying. By repairing these statements, the argument becomes much stronger.

Week 4 - Post 3: Mentoring for Communication in Organizations

Chapter four of O’Hair and Wiemann’s The Essential Guide to Group Communication has an interesting section on the benefits of obtaining a mentor. The mentor is an experienced member of a group willing to train a new-comer. The person seeking this experienced organization member is called the “protégé.” The book notes four important steps that are common in the relationship between the mentor and protégé. The first stage is the “Initiation” stage. During this stage, the mentor begins teaching their knowledge to the protégé. Additionally, they begin building a standard relationship. The second stage is “Cultivation.” According to O’Hair and Wiemann, “the mentor and protégé begin to form an interpersonal bond.” The mentor starts to look out for and show considerable respect for the protégé. The third step is “Separation.” At this point, the protégé has learned enough in the organization to be considered an established member. Thus, the two slowly drift apart because the protégé is no longer so reliant on the mentor. The fourth stage is “Redefinition.” During this final stage, the mentor and protégé reunite as equals in the organization now that they hold similar positions. Clearly, the assistance of a mentor can be a promising training tool for any new member of an organization.

Week 4 - Post 2: Content Fallacies

The fallacy I chose to explore was Phony Refutation. In this case, a person acts in a certain way or says something that goes against what they believe or are arguing in favor of. This fallacy argues that if a person acts against the argument they were trying to make, they must not support their own conclusion. Thus, the argument they made would be considered a poor one. I remember a particular example of this fallacy when I was taking Public Speaking during my first year at SJSU. A girl in my class was doing a speech on the negative aspects of red meat. She spoke on every detail of the topic from green house gases to the negative effects of red meat on one’s health. When she finished her speech, I asked if she was a vegetarian or if she at least refrained from eating red meats. She reluctantly replied that she did eat red meats. The fact that she argued the negative aspects of eating red meat while continuing to consume it herself made her argument appear far less effective at the end of her speech. Perhaps if she were aware of this fallacy she would haven chosen a different topic to speak on that she could fully support.

Week 4 - Post 1: Complex Arguments for Analysis

The argument I chose to analyze for this exercise was example number one. The argument in this example is, “My neighbor should be forced to get rid of all the cars in his yard.” The plaintiff in this case used 3 claims to support his original argument. Claim A is, “People do not like living next door to such a mess.” Most people would agree that they like living next to well-kept houses, so this claim is true. Claim B is, “He never drives any of them.” The neighbor may frequently see the cars in the owner’s yard, but there could have been a time that it was driven while the plaintiff was away at work. While the probability of this is low, it is still a possibility. Claim C is, “They all look old and beat up and leak oil all over the place.” The first part of this claim is a matter of opinion, while the second part is a solid detail. The plaintiff would need to include additional premises to support their argument that are not simply a matter of their opinion. For instance, if the cars were illegally parked or unregistered, there would be legal reasons to either fine the owner or remove the cars. Because the neighbor uses simple opinion for the majority of his claims, the argument is not very strong. While the final sentence to this example is, “It is bad for the neighborhood, and it will decrease property values,” this appears to be more like a sub-argument than a conclusion. A better conclusion would be, “Based on the excessive mess, lack of use, and mechanical problems of the neighbor’s cars, he should be forced to get rid of the cars in his yard.” Overall, I feel this exercise was effective because it allowed me to break down complex arguments piece by piece in order to learn how to analyze them.

Week 3 - Post 3: The Process of Group Decision-Making

As mentioned in O’Hair and Wiemann’s The Essential Guide to Group Communication, there are 8 steps to the proper decision making process when working in a group. The first step is to identify the problem. The members of the group must analyze the issue at hand and then collaborate to propose a solution to the problem. The second step is conducting research. Each group member must seek out additional information to gain a greater understanding of their topic. Thirdly, the group should establish guidelines and criteria. By establishing these guidelines, the members will have a means by which to evaluate their proposed solutions. The fourth step is generating alternatives. At this point, the group leader and the members should come up with as many possible solutions to their problem as possible. The fifth step to this process is evaluating the alternatives the members have come up with. From this point, the group must select the best alternative and then implement this solution in steps 6 and 7. These steps are crucial to the entire process because they evaluate and decide the solution to the entire problem. Finally, the group must evaluate the results of their chosen solution to determine how effective it was in solving their problem. If groups work together to follow these steps, they are far more likely to be successful in their decision-making process.

Week 3 - Post 2: Valid and Strong Arguments

A valid argument is an argument in which there is no remote possibility that either the premise or the conclusion is true while the other is false at the same time. An example of such an argument would be, “In order to pass Chad 60 I was required to complete 2 exams and 20 service hours. I performed all of these requirements in the allotted time. Therefore, I passed the course with a good grade.” A strong argument is one that can be subjected to any unlikely possibility, and both the premise and the conclusion will remain true. An example of a strong argument that I often hear in everyday life is, “Diet and exercise are an important part of a healthy lifestyle. So, eating plenty of nutrient-rich foods and being physically active on a daily basis will make you healthy.” For most people, this combination would result in healthful benefits. But, there could be a small amount of people who face specific health problems that continue to threaten there health or keep them overweight despite their diets and physical activity. Nonetheless, this would be considered a strong argument because it holds true with the majority of the population.

Week 3 - Post 1: Tests for a Good Argument

Upon reading chapter 3 of Epstein’s Critical Thinking, I have become much more familiar with the criteria of good arguments. An example of such an argument would be, “Chris is a good student. He studies several hours every day. He will earn good grades in his classes.” This example meets the first criteria of being a good argument because the premise is truthful and reasonable. It is possible for Chris to be a good student, even before the argument is made. The second criterion for this to be a good argument is that the premise must be more realistic than the conclusion. In this example, Chris could still be considered a good student for paying attention, participating in class, and showing a greater overall interest in the subject matter compared to the other students. He would not necessarily need to obtain a grade of “A” to be considered an exceptional student in each of his classes. A grade of “B” is still considered above average. The third criterion of a good argument is that the argument be strong and credible. The argument I made in this example was that Chris would receive good grades because he studies several hours each night. A strong argument is one that can be subjected to other possibilities, no matter how rare they are, and still prove to be true. My example would also pass this test because although there may be a slight chance Chris could study thoroughly and do poorly in the class, it is very unlikely this would happen. It is far more likely that his excessive studying would result in the positive possibility of exceptional grades.

Week 2 - Post 3: Descriptive and Prescriptive Claims

As I was reading through chapter two of Epstein’s Critical Thinking, I came across the section on descriptive and prescriptive claims. I chose to write on this topic because I encounter these types of claims rather frequently in my everyday conversations. A descriptive claim is a statement that says exactly what it means. For example, “Ryan gets sunburns easily,” states exactly what it means. My boyfriend is currently working on a roofing job and is subjected to direct sunlight for several hours each day. As result, he has become fairly sunburned. A prescriptive claim is a sentence that suggests what should happen in a situation. In this case, my prescriptive claim would be, “Ryan should wear sunscreen.” This claim was made by looking at the problem and then suggesting an action that would serve as a solution. Obviously, if Ryan were to put on sunscreen regularly, he would not have to face the issue of being sunburned.

Week 2 - Post 2: Vague Sentences

Yesterday a friend and I were discussing our class schedules for this semester. Seeing as how we are both nursing majors, it was not uncommon to see so many science classes on our agendas. As we were talking, she pointed to her chemistry book and said, “This class is hard.” Her statement was so general that I had to have her elaborate to understand her feelings on the matter. Such a statement would be considered vague because its specific meaning could not be pinpointed. Her idea would have been far easier to comprehend if she had mentioned what specifically made the class challenging. A vague sentence is a statement thats meaning is so broad or undefined that an individual cannot target its specific meaning. White sentences such as these make for bad arguments, and even the occasional poor conversation, they are extremely common in everyday dialogue. Despite my efforts to avoid using vague sentences, I find that they still slip into my daily conversations.

Week 2 - Post 1: Subjective and Objective Claims

A subjective claim is a statement based on an individual’s personal beliefs or opinions. For example, my boyfriend recently took me out to dinner. As we received our food, I looked over at him and said, “Steak is disgusting. How can you eat that?” The steak would not look unappetizing to other customers, but it did to me. Thus, the statement I made was a subjective claim. An objective claim is a factual statement that is not influenced by personal opinion. Yesterday my dad walked into the house and said, “Wow, it’s hot outside.” Others would agree with this statement because the temperature was, in fact, much higher than usual. Because the statement was factual and not based on his opinion alone, it would be considered an objective claim. However, if my dad had made the same statement in 60 degree weather, it would be his personal opinion. The weather outside would not be exceptionally higher than normal, and most people would not agree with him. Therefore, it would be considered a subjective claim. After studying these claims, I have learned that subjective claims would be more effective in pushing an idea or trying to persuade someone of something. On the other hand, objective claims are important when passing on true and unbiased information in places like schools.