Is the following non-deductive argument strong or weak? We h…
Is the following non-deductive argument strong or weak? We have four suspects in our investigation into Mr. Body’s murder: Colonel Mustard, Mrs. Peacock, Ms. Scarlett, and Professor Plum. We learned that at the time of Mr. Body’s death, Colonel Mustard and Mrs. Peacock had accidentally locked themselves in the kitchen. That leaves only Ms. Scarlett and Professor Plum who could have entered the observatory to kill Mr. Body. We found ashes near the victim, but Mr. Body and Ms. Scarlett do not smoke. Professor Plum, on the other hand, regularly smokes a pipe. Thus, we conclude that it was Professor Plum who murdered Mr. Body (in the Observatory, with the lead pipe).
Read DetailsSample Argument #2 – Representing as an argument Represent t…
Sample Argument #2 – Representing as an argument Represent the following passage as an argument in PL. I will provide a translation key for the atomic sentences: English Passage Water is either wet or dry, but not both. That is, if water is dry, then it is not wet, and if water is wet, then it is not dry. When something is dry and you add water to it, it makes it wet. On the other hand, it is not the case that adding water to water makes it wet. So water is wet. Translation Key Note, you may not need all of these constants to represent this argument. W = Water is wet. D = Water is dry. B = Fire is burnt. A = One adds water to a thing. S = One adds fire to a thing. M = That makes the thing wet. C = That makes the thing burnt.
Read Details