In chapter six of Critical Thinking, Epstein discusses the contradictory of a claim. The contradictory of a claim is one that has the opposite value of the truth no matter how it is presented. An example of such a contradictory claim would be, “Nick will walk the dog tomorrow morning,” and, “Nick will not walk the dog tomorrow morning.” No matter which way this statement is presented, the opposite meaning will always present itself when the statement is contradicted.
Another topic discussed in chapter six was false dilemma. Epstein defines false dilemma as, “a bad use of excluding possibilities where the “or” claim is false or implausible.” An example of such a claim would be, “Food costs money and you have no money. You can either stop eating or get a job.” Obviously, you cannot stop eating because your body needs nutrients to survive. Therefore, the only solution presented here would be to get a job to pay for food. In reality, there are other ways of obtaining food for poor or unemployed people. This is why the example I gave was a false dilemma. If the person could really not buy food, they could go to a soup kitchen for meals or even be put on federal assistance such as food stamps.
I really like both of your definitions and examples that you have given in your entry. For your example and definition of contradictory claims,you explained it very simply and clear. A contradictory claim is simply the opposite of what someone else has stated. Even though the idea of a contradictory claim sounds more complicated, it actually is an easy concept to understand.
ReplyDeleteAlso, your explanation of a false dilemma is very good as well. It is kind of a funny false dilemma too. It is obvious that you cannot just stop eating and it is possible to get food without having a job as well.