PHIL 347N WEEK 6 CHECKPOINT, Questions and Answers: American Public University

Question 1 4 / 4 pts What are the three fundamental reasoning strategies listed in the text? Your Answer: Comparative reasoning Ideological reasoning Empirical reasoning Question 2 6 / 6 pts What is comparative reasoning? On what skill is it based? Your Answer: Comparative reasoning is a form of thinking where you basically compare two things (this is like that). This form of reasoning enables human to interpret thing, draw inferences, or offer explanations. Comparative reasoning is based on critical thinking skills. You compare your knowledge of what you know to what you don't know. Question 3 20 / 20 pts We learned four tests for evaluating arguments: truthfulness of the premises, logical strength, relevance, and non-circularity. How well do these tests work with respect to evaluating comparative reasoning? Consider each of the four tests. Your Answer: According to the textbook, the four tests for evaluating arguments are not the best when evaluating comparative reasoning. In the case of the first test, using the terms "true" or "false" do not provide enough clarity for evaluating comparisons, which are the two main terms used in the first test. In the second test of evaluating arguments, there are too many cases where points of dissimilarity and similarity are both shown. Therefore, the second test does not work well with respect to evaluating comparative reasoning. The third test is not appropriate for evaluating comparative reasoning either. Because of how the analogies are worded in comparative reasoning, it is up to the maker of the analogy to explain how the comparison is relevant. Lastly, in the case of the fourth test, it does not work either. In comparative reasoning, there is something unfamiliar. If something is unfamiliar, it is hard to connect the premise and the conclusion. In the case of business and war, war is very unfamiliar to many businesspeople. Therefore, it would be difficult to apply the fourth test. In conclusion, the four test for evaluating arguments do not work with respect to evaluating comparative reasoning.