By David Kelley
A transparent and obtainable advent to the weather of common sense, with a wealth of difficulties and exercises.
scholars research good judgment by way of practising it—by operating via difficulties, interpreting current arguments, and developing their very own arguments in simple language and symbolic notation. The paintings of Reasoning not just introduces the rules of serious pondering and good judgment in a transparent, obtainable, and logical manner—thus training what it preaches—but it additionally presents considerable chance for college students to hone their talents and grasp direction content material.
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Extra resources for The Art of Reasoning: An Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking
Sample text
But the “lub-dub” sound is a superficial trait; it is merely a by-product of the heart’s essential function, which is to circulate the blood. This essential function explains many of the heart’s other properties: the way it beats, the way it is hooked up 31 32 Chapter 2 Definitions to the veins and arteries, even the sound it makes. But explanation is a one-way street. The “lub-dub” sound does not explain the heart’s function. Remember that one purpose of a definition is to condense the knowledge we have about the referents of a concept.
And the similarities between green and brown lizards are much more fundamental than the superficial differences in color. As a result, this classification is useless. Knowing that a certain animal belongs to one of these categories tells you almost nothing about it. Imagine having to act on the information that a gray animal was approaching, without knowing anything else about it! How does the distinction between essential and nonessential attributes apply to other areas? Let’s look at a few examples.
But a drinking vessel is a kind of utensil, which is a kind of tool, which is a kind of man-made object. Each of these terms is more abstract than the one before and covers a wider range of things. Any of them could serve as the genus. Why choose the narrowest one, DRINKING VESSEL? The answer lies in the rule that a definition should state essential attributes. 3 Constructing Definitions clude the information that a cup is a utensil used for drinking. That’s the function of a cup, and the function explains why a cup has a certain size and shape.