RUNNING HEADER: Evaluating Inductive Arguments 1
PHIL 347
EVALUATING
INDUCTIVE
ARGUMENTS
Evaluating Inductive Arguments
Lauren Greenwood
Chamberlain College of Nursing
December 2019
, Evaluating Inductive Arguments 2
Note: I am using the 2012 edition of the Textbook, therefore, I am evaluating what I could find to
be the equivalent of the assigned exercises.
Exercise 9.12
“7. When studying the frontal lobe, the part of the brain that considers consequences of actions,
neuroscientist Francis Jensen made an insightful discovery about the adolescent brain. A major
reason why adolescents often make poor decisions is because the nerve cells that connect their
frontal lobes with the rest of their brains are sluggish.”
“7. When studying the frontal lobe, the part of the brain that considers consequences of actions,
neuroscientist Francis Jensen made an insightful discovery about the adolescent brain. A major
reason why ⓵ adolescents often make poor decisions is ⓶ because the nerve cells that connect
their frontal lobes with the rest of their brains are sluggish.”
This passage does contain an argument. The issue at hand is why adolescents make poor
decisions, with the conclusion being that it is because of the slower nerve cells in the frontal
lobe. This is an inductive generalization as it takes the frontal lobes of some adolescents and
generalizes it to form a conclusion regarding the frontal lobes of all adolescent children. We can
know this because it is impossible that Francis Jensen examined the frontal lobe of every
adolescent alive. The argument is not very convincing to me as there is no description of where
and how Jensen got his to support his conclusion, so I would not suggest my boss move forward
with this argument. If I could ask some questions to help make this a stronger argument and fill
the gaps, I would ask how many adolescents Jensen studied, and what their age range was. These
two pieces of information will greatly strengthen the claim presented. The information that adds
PHIL 347
EVALUATING
INDUCTIVE
ARGUMENTS
Evaluating Inductive Arguments
Lauren Greenwood
Chamberlain College of Nursing
December 2019
, Evaluating Inductive Arguments 2
Note: I am using the 2012 edition of the Textbook, therefore, I am evaluating what I could find to
be the equivalent of the assigned exercises.
Exercise 9.12
“7. When studying the frontal lobe, the part of the brain that considers consequences of actions,
neuroscientist Francis Jensen made an insightful discovery about the adolescent brain. A major
reason why adolescents often make poor decisions is because the nerve cells that connect their
frontal lobes with the rest of their brains are sluggish.”
“7. When studying the frontal lobe, the part of the brain that considers consequences of actions,
neuroscientist Francis Jensen made an insightful discovery about the adolescent brain. A major
reason why ⓵ adolescents often make poor decisions is ⓶ because the nerve cells that connect
their frontal lobes with the rest of their brains are sluggish.”
This passage does contain an argument. The issue at hand is why adolescents make poor
decisions, with the conclusion being that it is because of the slower nerve cells in the frontal
lobe. This is an inductive generalization as it takes the frontal lobes of some adolescents and
generalizes it to form a conclusion regarding the frontal lobes of all adolescent children. We can
know this because it is impossible that Francis Jensen examined the frontal lobe of every
adolescent alive. The argument is not very convincing to me as there is no description of where
and how Jensen got his to support his conclusion, so I would not suggest my boss move forward
with this argument. If I could ask some questions to help make this a stronger argument and fill
the gaps, I would ask how many adolescents Jensen studied, and what their age range was. These
two pieces of information will greatly strengthen the claim presented. The information that adds
