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This diagnostic paper by Makoto Suzuki explores various logical fallacies, such as begging the question and tu quoque, while addressing common grammatical and stylistic problems in writing. Key issues discussed include the misuse of conjunctions, ambiguous references, grammatical errors, and the importance of clarity in argumentation. Readers will learn how to identify these fallacies and improve their writing by avoiding elaborate sentences and unnecessary phrases, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of their arguments.
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The Diagnostic Paper Makoto Suzuki 2006
Abbreviations • BQ: Suspicious of Begging the Question • NN: Not Necessary • TA: Tautology • “…if a certain criminal is so criminal in nature that it is punishable by death, such as murder, then capital punishment should be permissible.” • ?: Not Clear • LOC: Lack of a Conjunctive (and, or, because etc.) • AR: Ambiguous Reference of Indexicals (that, this, they etc.) • AM: Ambiguous • UG: Ungrammatical
Problems of Diction • “then” in place of “than” • “one’s self” in place of “oneself” • “it’s” in place of “its” • “there(s)” in place of “their(s)” • “with out” in place of “without” • “(Al)though” in place of “however” • “however” in place of “but” or “yet” • “to” in place of “too” • “weather” in place of “whether”
Problems of Grammar and Style • Avoid dangling phrases (“However, being a privilege, I believe that...”) • Avoid putting an adverb between “to” and “verb” as much as possible. • Put proper punctuations. • “Programs and laws of certain types can help fight poverty for example unemployment offices help people find work every day searching far and wide for convinces and time conflict solutions.” • Avoid sentences longer than two lines. • If arguments get long, state your conclusions and directions first. • Avoid shortened expressions, such as “it’s”, “hasn’t”, “don’t” etc.
Avoid lengthy phrases • “The morality of warfare should not be something that is really questionable.” • Omit phrases that you do not need.
Fallacy 1: From “can” to “ought” • “If we are capable of coming up with a way to gain access to food, then we should be able to do it.” • We are capable of killing people, so should we be able to do it?
Fallacy 2: Tu Quoque • Calling someone “a hypocrite” does not refute his or her position. • For example, a person who holds eating meat is wrong but still eats meat is a hypocrite. • However, this does not mean that his position is mistaken. • A person who murders someone might hold that we should not kill. He is a hypocrite, but his position is probably correct.
Fallacy 3: Begging the Question • Reject religious arguments without stating reasons. • Give arguments merely based on the authority of religious texts.
Distinguish Justification from Explanation • The causes you acquire your beliefs are not always justifications for them. • I perhaps get my beliefs on suicide from my upbringing, but the upbringing does not justify my beliefs.
Next time, Check Facts! • Many people make factual suppositions and guesses without any reasons or data. • When you engage in rational discussion, you need refer to data or at least reasons why you think the supposition is plausible.