ANALYTICAL SKILLS EXERCISE 7 (ANSWERS)

This exercise is not graded and you do not need to hand it in. Please work on it all
the same. Answers will be released on Vista in one week’s time.

A. Forms of Argument

In each passage below, first name the form of the argument. Then assess the
strength of the inference as no support, weak support, moderate support,
strong support or 100% (valid).

1. You must have prior permission if you fish in my creek. You have not obtained this
permission, thus you aren’t allowed to fish in my creek.

Form of argument: Modus Tollens

Strength of inference: 100% (Deductively valid)

2. If Jack’s in the pub then he’ll be drunk by now. So if he’s still not drunk then he’s
not in the pub.

Form of argument: Transposition

Strength of inference: 100% (Deductively valid)

3. It is clear that Singapore is going to recover from this economic crisis. After all,
both MM Lee and the Minister of Economic Affairs, as well as several international
fiscal authorities are on record that this is so.

Form of argument: Argument from authority

Strength of inference: Strong.

4. If this syllogism commits the fallacy of affirming the consequent, then it is invalid.
This syllogism does not commit the fallacy of affirming the consequent. Therefore
this syllogism is valid.

Form of argument: Denying the antecedent

Strength of inference: Zero or weak (Deductively invalid)

5. Exercise is good for you only if you take care to match it to your level of fitness
and your ability. But when you took up running you didn’t bother about your level of
fitness or your athletic ability: you set up a running program and pursued it blindly.
So this exercise isn’t going to do you any good.

Form of argument: Modus Tollens

Strength of inference: 100% (Deductively valid)

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6. If physicians pull the plug on terminally ill patients, they risk being charged with
murder; but if they do not pull the plug, they prolong their patients’ pain and suffering.
Since physicians with terminally ill patients must do one or the other, they either risk
being charged with murder or else they prolong their patients’ pain and suffering.

Form of argument: Dilemma

Strength of inference: 100% (Deductively valid)

7. We can say with certainty that green tea is good for our health. After all, it is good
for our health and it has anti-oxidants in it.

Form of argument: Simplification

Strength of inference: 100% (Deductively valid)

8. Our survey found that 90% of all those who take public transport in Singapore are
in favour of longer operating hours for public transport. We concluded this based on
the 5,000 people we asked on this subject at Changi Airport MRT Station.

Form of argument: Inductive generalization

Strength of inference: Weak. The survey is biased in two ways: first, the
survey was done at the airport MRT, where people who depart and arrive at
night would obviously benefit from longer public transport operating hours.
Their views are unlikely to represent the views of Singaporeans in general.
Also, the conclusion relates to all public transport whereas the people
surveyed were only going by one mode of transport: the MRT.

9. When the captain of a ship is unsure of the procedures to follow in a particular

situation, we will want him to refresh his memory by consulting the handbook.
Likewise, when students sitting for a final examination are unsure of the answer to a
certain question, we should let them consult their textbooks.

Form of argument: Argument from analogy

Strength of inference: Weak. A captain might endanger his ship and the lives
of the people on board if he does not consult the handbook, but students do
not endanger much. Also, the captain is not under examination, so he is not
required to know every single thing by heart, whereas the idea of a student
examination is that students know their stuff by heart.

10. If the universe keeps expanding, there is a good case to be made for the theory
of evolution. But if there is a good case for the theory of evolution, the earth will keep
on evolving and mankind will eventually die out. Therefore, if the universe keeps
expanding, mankind will eventually die out.

Form of argument: Hypothetical syllogism

Strength of inference: 100% (Deductively valid)

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B. Natural Deduction

Consider the following argument (call it Argument X):

Either animals are mere mechanisms or they feel pain. If they either feel pain or
have souls, they have a right not to be subjected to needless pain and humans
have a duty not to inflict needless pain on them. But if animals were mere
mechanisms, they would not respond to psychological torture, whereas it has been
proven that they do respond to this kind of torture. So animals have a right not to be
subjected to needless pain.

Using the following key of propositions:

M = Animals are mere mechanisms

P = Animals feel pain
S = Animals have souls
R = Animals have the right not to be subjected to needless pain
T = Animals respond to psychological torture
H = Humans have a duty not to inflict needless pain on animals

the form of the argument is:

M or P
If (P or S) then (R and H)
If M then not T
T
>R

Decide whether this argument is valid by attempting to deduce the conclusion in

steps, using the method of standard argument form (SAF). Here’s an example of
what you should do:

Consider Argument Y:

My spoon is not wet. So I did not put sugar in my coffee, because the spoon would
be wet if I had stirred my coffee. But I did not put sugar in it if I did not stir it.

Using the following key of propositions:

W = My spoon is wet
P = I put sugar in my coffee
S = I stirred my coffee

the form of the argument is:

Not W
If S then W
If not S then not P
> Not P

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and here’s a proof that the form is valid:

1 If S then W Premise
2 Not W Premise
>3 Not S 1, 2, MT
4 If not S then not P Premise
>5 Not P 3, 4, MP

Now do the same for Argument X. If Argument X is invalid, just write “Invalid”. If it is
valid, then construct a proof below in the same form as the proof for Argument Y
above, and then write “Valid”.

Answer

1. If M then not T Premise

2. T Premise
> 3. Not M 1, 2, MT
4. M or P Premise
> 5. P 3, 4, DS
> 6. P or S 5, Add
7. If (P or S) then (R and H) Premise
> 8. R and H 6, 7, MP
> 9. R 8, Simp

Valid

END OF EXERCISE 7