Evaluating Truth and Validity Essay Example for Free

Evaluating Truth and Validity Essay Truth and validity are two different concepts which should not be confused, although they are usually taken as synonyms in common language. In logic, it is said that the argument is valid when the conclusion follows deductively from the premises. While of the premises and the conclusion is that they are true or false, the arguments are said to be valid or invalid. The validity or invalidity of the argument does not depend on its conclusion to be true. According to Moss (2007) â€Å"Understanding Truth aims to illuminate the notion of truth, and the role it plays in our ordinary thought, as well as in our logical, philosophical, and scientific theories. The argument is valid, when you have consistency and sense. It has coherence because the premises do not contradict each other and correspond to the conclusion† (para.12). Therefore, we must distinguish between the concept of truth and validity. Truth is something that is preached propositions or statements. Validity is predicated of the arguments. Truth makes reference to the content, and the validity to the shape or structure of the arguments. This reading will address three scenarios in which it will evaluate each argument, using the 4-step process regarding truth and validity. The first scenario is â€Å"Power must be evil because it can corrupt people.† The first thing this paper will address is if the argument is stated fully and in a clear way. The statement has a hidden premise. The premise expressed of the statement can be view as Power is evil because it creates corruption. Therefore must powerful people are corrupt. The statement has errors affecting truth. From the statement we know that the statement is overgeneralizing its context because it is taking a valid point and it is extending it beyond the limits of reasonableness. Sometimes this statement can be true but we can’t assume all powerful people are evil. The fact that power corrupts all people is a negative statement. All throughout history there has been many of people that had power that were not evil. For Example, Nelson Mandela was a very powerful man in South Africa. According to Vallely (2003) â€Å"His life was an inspiration not just in South Africa but throughout the world, to all who are oppressed and deprived, and to all who  are opposed to oppression and deprivation. He was a model of faith, hope and charity† (para.11). In the other hand, there has been people corrupted that had power. For Example, Adolf Hitler and Napoleon were very powerful and corrupt individuals. According to Napoleon and Hitler (2010) â€Å"Both were heartless and cavalier about the lives of their men (Napoleon: A man like me cares little about losing the lives of a million men; Hitler: I can send the flower of German youth into the hell of war without the slightest pity). As for their legacies, Seward states that Napoleon began the irreversible destruction of the old hierarchical, Christian Europe and the Fuhrer completed it† (para.12). According Kivisto (2013) â€Å"Evil is an entity, person, place or thing that does not deserve compromise or negotiation. It must be destroyed. Dictionary. Reference.com describes it as the force in nature that governs and gives rise to wickedness and sin† (para.2) Also, not all corrupt people are evil. Mexico, for example, is full of corrupt leaders, but in the other hand, there are not evil. Another corrupt organization is the Federation International of Football Association, known as FIFA, but is not evil. How corrupt you have to be to be consider â€Å"Evil†. There are people who are corrupt, but are not in any way evil. In conclusion, it is found that this argument is so flawed that the only thing to do is to throw it out and embrace a different argument. It is found that power if used right ca n do so much good, and if power is in the wrong hands it can do enormous harm. The second scenario talks about â€Å"The credit card habit promotes careless spending, particularly among young people. Therefore, credit card companies should not be permitted to issue credit cards to anyone under age 21. This reading will evaluate truth and validity and also it will talk about the four step process in evaluating an argument. Not all young people are careless spenders. The statement â€Å"The credit card habit promotes careless spending, particularly among young people. Therefore, credit card companies should not be permitted to issue credit cards to anyone under age 21. Is not truth as it is written. From past experiences people came to the conclusion that in fact people under the age of 21 get into a lot of debt from credit cards, but not all the debt is form credit cards. Also, there is a lot of people that have credit card debt and over 21. This reading  notice that this argument is overgeneralizing its context. This statement could be truth at times. According to Herman (2008) â€Å"Credit card companies have been pursuing teenagers and designing credit cards so they can ‘learn’ about the credit system,† says Gary Herman, President of Consolidated Credit. â€Å"And although most teenagers don’t fully understand the repercussions of using a credit card and the impact it can have on their future financial situations, more teens are working and are spending their own money. Credit card companies believe they have hit the jackpot† (para.3). In the other hand, there have been many people who are filled with credit card debt and are over the age of 21. In the following step checking for validity errors, it is found that this statement is somewhat valid. Credit card companies don’t promote careless spending. It is the parent’s responsibilities to teach their kids of proper way s to manage their finances. The argument talks about credit cards are promoting careless spending in which is true, but there is a lot of people under the age of 21 who are responsible for owning a credit card. Not all young people under 21 are careless spenders. The final step is to validate errors, if found; the reading will revise the argument to eliminate them. The credit card habit promotes careless spending, particularly among young people. Therefore, credit card companies should run credit checks on all people applying for one. The third scenario talks about â€Å"Low grades on a college transcript are a handicap in the job market, so teachers who grade harshly are doing students a disservice. To make the expression complete, the reading will identify the premises that are hidden in this argument. Companies take into consideration a lot of factors when it comes to hiring personal, and one of those is how well they did in school to include grades. Employers want productive employees and ones that perform well. If an applicant with good grades apply for a position and another one with bad grades apply nine out of ten the one with the good grades will get the job. Teacher’s main job is to teach coach and mentor them towards their entrance in the job market and to make sure they meet all the requirements of a desired profession. Teachers who grade harshly are doing disserve to students by many different ways. Teachers may deduct points because of lack of participation or attendance, which it doesn’t means he is a bad student but in the other hand he might have job that intervenes with him being on time. This statement  contains an element of truth, yet it is not accurate. According to Belkin (2003) â€Å"The test, called the Collegiate Learning Assessment, provides an objective, benchmarked report card for critical thinking skills, said David Pate, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at St. John Fisher Colleg e, a small liberal-arts school near Rochester, N.Y. The students will be able to use it to go out and market themselves. The test is part of a movement to find new ways to assess the skills of graduates. Employers say grades can be misleading and that they have grown skeptical of college credentials†. (para.3). In the other hand according to McNicol (1999) â€Å"In the independent performance survey of the 25 colleges, Georgian had impressive results, including above-average scores for graduate placement and satisfaction, Georgian officials said. The survey was conducted as part of the accountability initiatives spearheaded by the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training. Called the key performance indicators (KPI) project, it found 90 per cent of 600 Georgian College grads surveyed found work within six months of graduation, slightly higher than the system- wide 89 per cent† (pg.2). In the final step, it will revise the argument to eliminate errors. The statement â€Å"Low grades on a college transcript are a handicap in the job market, so teachers who grade harshly are doing students a disservice† has errors. Not all companies look into college transcripts before they hired a future employee they are several other facts that come in play before the hiring process, for example past experiences, work history, military experience, resume, etc. In conclusion, validity is a property of forms or structures of deductive arguments. It does not mean that their proposals are always true. An invalid form means that even if the premises are true, the conclusion is not necessarily true. Therefore, there are deductive arguments that may be valid, but not true, and, therefore, not solid. References Moss, P. A. (2007). Reconstructing validity. Educational Researcher, 36(8), 470-476. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/216903729?accountid=458 Vallely, P. (2013, Dec 07). Nelson Mandela. The Independent Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1465444822?accountid=458 NAPOLEON AND HITLER. (2010). Kirkus Reviews, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/915700909?accountid=458 Kivisto, P. (2013). Evil. Choice, 50(5), 976. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1312183109?accountid=458 Herman, G. (2008). Teenagers credit cards. Retrieved from www.consalidatedcredit.org: http://www.consolidatedcredit.org/credit-card-debt/teenagers-and-cards/#back Belkin, D. (2013, Aug 25). Are you ready for the post-college SAT?; employers say they dont trust grade-point averages. Wall Street Journal (Online) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1427661410?accountid=458 McNichol, P. (1999, Mar 11). Good grades for georgian: Most grads, employers happy with college courses. Sun Times Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/349164482?accountid=458

Frivolous Lawsuits :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Frivolous Lawsuits As children our parents tried to instill in all of us good moral judgment and common sense. However, if I was to open the newspaper I would surely find any number of articles on the latest frivolous lawsuit, these being even more outrageous than the ones in yesterday’s paper. How have we as a society, which is completely capable of rational thinking, allowed ourselves to become so intertwined in the blaming game? Americans file about 15 million lawsuits a year. (Cannell) A fourth of all lawsuits filed are either frivolous or fraudulent. Perhaps, the careless point of view about the seriousness of lawsuits is perpetuated by the false representation on the many law shows on TV, such as Ally McBeal and Law and Order, in which the case is neatly rapped up in an hour. In reality most court cases take about 19 months from start to finish. In order to analyze our â€Å"sue happy† society one must first find out, what actually is a lawsuit? A lawsuit is a legal action brought by a plaintiff, a person who claims to have been wronged, against a defendant, the person being sued. If a judge decides that a case has enough evidence to go to trial then the verdict may be decided by either a judge or a jury. Yet, 90 percent of cases reach a settlement out of court. (Cannell) The scary truth about lawsuits is that anyone can file a suit for anything! It is for the judge to decide if the case meets two criteria: there must have been a wrongful act committed and the plaintiff must have suffered. (Cannell) The way in which liability is determined seems to be an irony in itself. The civil law requires people to act with reasonable care, meaning not hurting others or damaging property. Also it requires the defendant to do what a reasonable person would have done. (Cannell) However, my question is, if a person is not using a reasonable mind then isn’t that person insane or otherwise mentally handicapped?

The Effective Methods to Learn New Vocabulary

Shiyu Wang EDI 300 Dr. Pole 09/26/2011 The Effective Methods To Learn New Vocabulary Vocabulary is one of the three main elements of language, and it is the base of literature. Whatever people communicate with others by any language, and the first requirement is that people must have certain vocabulary. In study activities, teachers emphasize listening, speaking, reading, and writing, but students cannot learn without vocabulary. Vocabulary learning is a process of memorizing and recognizing. If students don’t have enough vocabulary, they will spend more time to read, and they are not interested in the books they read.Learning language base is very important in English teaching, and learning language base includes knowledge and skill. For accumulating vocabulary knowledge, and pointing to the difficulties to students, some researchers provide some methods below to develop the learning qualities. In the beginning, vocabulary learning includes two sides, and they are accumulatin g and understanding. The purpose of learning vocabulary is letting students handle every word, so the best method of learning vocabulary is by reading. If they handle the sentences, they will remember the words.One disadvantage of learning by rote is that all words are in alphabetical order, and student cannot be interested in those words because of no connection with their life. This will be a very passive activity, but memorizing is active. For example, people might remember name of the person they want to make friend with. That is not because you repeat it, but also you are memory activator. The other disadvantage is that even though people remember the meanings of the words, they cannot use them to write articles.In different language environment, one word has different meanings. So, using sentence frame to develop vocabulary is a better method. If you read a sentence every day, the value will be more than that people recite twenty words. Dr. Kesler â€Å"prompted students to c ontinue using the textual information to consider the word's meaning. After reading, we revisited the words in context and how often they appeared in the text. The students then refined and generated new possible sentences that we discussed based on new textual information. (Ted 2) Reading is good, but the sentences should be found in our favorite articles. Firstly, people must love that sentence, because understanding is the basic of using. For instance, when I read Mark Twain, one sentence is written like that â€Å"†¦constantly worries about money as her family teetered between near-prosperity and genteel poverty. † This sentence describes the family economic situation exactly. Because I love this sentence, I immediately remember the word â€Å"teeter†. Then, American sociologist, Dr.Hymes stated that only studying one language is not enough, students must have the ability of communicating by the language. They must understand how to use suitable methods to exp ress the true purpose, and this expression method depends on the social cultural background. The cultural background is abundant. Generally, learning vocabulary has the firm connection with learning cultural background. Therefore, during the studying process, we might meet many words related to culture, when we learn these words, we should know the culture around the words. For that reason, they are not separated.I am an international student in the USA, so I live in a totally different culture environment, so the same meaning word has different meaning and usage in different culture environment. For example, in American people mind, â€Å"week† is from Sunday to Saturday, but in Chinese culture, â€Å"week† is from Monday to Sunday. At the same time, in different culture background, every word have abundant cultural connotation except denotation. Therefore, people should communicate with others by mixing language and culture. On the other side, good culture knowledge can not lead people communicate with others.Reading a lot of newspaper, books, and movies can let students understand the suitable environment, and they can know the true meaning of the vocabulary, so they will have the ability to communicate with other people, and get the purpose of using the new words. Using new pictures to learn and review Next, teachers should develop the interests of learning words. For changing the boring learning methods, they must use several different teaching ways to let students are interested in new vocabulary by themselves. Firstly, teachers can use new pictures to learn and review, so they can use several pictures to lead students to learn.For example, they can create many kinds of picture cards to learn fruit and vegetable words. Those cards will catch children’s attention, and this will be the best time to remember vocabulary. Secondly, teachers can use real things. Students don’t like boring lecture, but several real things are close t o the reality life, so they can see and touch the objects, so they will develop their study interests, then teachers can teach new words with letting students look at the real objects. Thirdly, teachers can let students to sing songs.If teachers can compose the songs by the new words, they can let students sing with performance, and it will build a relaxing study environment. Fourthly, playing games is also a good method to let students have study interests, and it can change the boring language situation to be an interesting course structure that students can accept. Fifthly, teachers can use some simple drawing. When they draw the pictures, they will remember the words effectively. In Janet Towell’s E-journal named Fun with vocabulary, she also introduce many other interesting ways to learn vocabulary, like color shock.It â€Å"is a technique that was originally designed for right-brained, learning disabled students to help them remember sight words. Right-brained children seem to have a special sensitivity for bright colors. † (Janet 356) This way is using different colors with different letters, so it will be a best way to learn words. The other way she Word cross game show readers is onsets and rimes, and â€Å" this technique for developing phonemic awareness can help beginning readers quickly and effectively learn many sight words using word patterns. (Janet 356) Those methods are all good for students to learn new vocabulary. Last but not least, technology will be another effective methods to learn new vocabulary. Using new technology can imitate several situations, and in teaching process. Firstly, powerpoint can be used independently without other software. Powerpoint can link to video, flash, picture, and other audio records, and teachers can show the course content by several media. Powerpoint is very active, and it cannot only catch students’ attention, but also help student remember words well.Secondly, study is a process of structure knowledge and studying actively. Therefore, teachers should let students think continuously, and get knowledge by thinking. By looking flash, students will find that words can have their living power because changing can develop memory. Thirdly, teachers try their best to using the Internet resource. On the Internet, students can read some materials that are related to the content they need to learn. They will understand the textbooks deeply, and at the same time, they will develop their reading ability. Dr.Dalton thinks that â€Å"teachers can create a digital version of a vocabulary field trip using a free program called TrackStar. It allows you to collect a series of websites and annotate them so that students follow the online journal. † (Bridget 4) They also can use advantage of online word reference tools as teaching tools, for example, â€Å"the visual thesaurus website complement its freebased content with free information such as the Behind the Dictionary and Teachers at work. † (Bridget 4) Additionally, students can exchange their thoughts with other students on the Internet.In conclusion, Emily Dickinson writes a poem called A Word that â€Å" A word is dead When it is said, Some say, I say it just Begins to live That day. † So, learning new vocabulary can be very interesting, and there are many different effective methods to remember words. Fluent language cannot exist without huge vocabulary accumulating, so enjoying vocabulary is the basic of learning language well. Without vocabulary, reading, translating, and writing cannot continue. Language learning develops by practicing and repeating, so teachers must keep students’ passion.Interest is the best teacher. The effective method to make vocabulary learning active is a necessary way teachers must research. Works Cited The Reading Teacher. Newark, Del. , etc: International Reading Association, 1989. Internet resource. Reading Teacher. Newark, Del: Internation al Reading Association, 1900. Internet resource. â€Å"Games. † Photograph. Webshots. 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. ;http://vocabulary. net/games/; â€Å"Basic Vocabulary Skills Cards. † Photograph. Webshots. 22 August. 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. ;http://www. ssww. com/item/basic-vocabulary-skills-cards-LR1184/;

The Use of Tobacco Related Products - 936 Words

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