Friday, April 30, 2010

Cause and Effect Website

I found the cause and effect website to be very useful and a different experience with learning new material. The book has been our main source of information for this class and it was interesting to be able to try a different style of learning especially with the exercises the website used. I also found the website to be very useful because of the examples that were very easily understood. I especially like the example with the traffic accident that showed how cause effect arguments worked. I also found the information about the three factors in determining the strength of a casual argument: (1) how acceptable or demonstrable the implied comparison is, (2) how likely the case for causation seems to be, (3) and how credible the "only significant difference" or "only significant commonality" claim is. I really liked the learning style of the website and found the website and the information in it very useful.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Interesting Topic

One concept from the assigned reading that I thought was interesting was an argument that calls in your debts. “An argument that calls in your debts appeals to the opposite of spite: “You should believe or do something if you owe someone a favor” (Epstein 193)”. For example:

Jessica: How can you go to the mall with Stacey and not go with me? You owe me from that time I helped you do your homework?

Bringing up the person debt as a way to get what you want is an example of calling in your debts. This in turn makes you feel guilty so now you feel compelled to go to the mall with Jessica. I believe that just because you helped someone does not mean you get to demand when you get the help back. I thought this concept was interesting because this concept applies to an experience that most people can say that they have gone through.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Pg 195 #3

3. Find an advertisement that’s uses an appeal to fear. Is it a good argument?
-Ad URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl5gBJGnaXs
~The advertisement I choose that shows appeal to fear is a drug advertisement from the late eighties and early nineties showing an egg frying in a frying pan to demonstrate what your brain looks like on drugs. This advertisement is not a good argument. There is no evidence to show that your brain looks like a fried egg when you do drugs. This advertisement is meant to scare viewers into not wanting to try drugs because of the horrible effects it has on your brain. The feeling of fear is invoked through this commercial because any damage to your brain is very scary, even though the commercial over exaggerates the damaged cause by drugs. This commercial is not showing any logic to prove there point. How much drugs make your brain fry? Which drugs make your brain fry? The advertisement is making a general statement about drugs that has no support.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Appeal to Emotion

Emotion plays a significant role in making decisions for everyday life, “An appeal to emotion in an argument is a premise that says you should believe or do something because you feel a certain way (Epstein 191)”. When appealing to emotion no valid logic is used instead the recipients emotions are manipulated to make the argument seem valid and logical. Some different aspects to appeal to emotion are appeal to fear, appeal to pity, appeal to spite and appeal to vanity. The aspect that strikes me most is appeal to pity. I would most often find myself feeling bad from advertisements where appeal to pity is used. The appeal to pity the advertiser uses makes me feel compelled to give money to the organization and help when I don’t even know anything about the cause or organization. In my personal experience I find myself most subject to appeal to pity. Emotion does play an important part in making a decision but at the same time too much emotion can change your perception and decision.