Inductive Reasoning

Inductive Reasoning

The Missing Premise or Conclusion? • I don’t see how Mike could have high blood pressure; he jogs, what, ten miles a day?

The Missing Premise or Conclusion? • Most people who drive that kind of car have money to burn, so I imagine Rico is pretty well off.

The Missing Premise or Conclusion? • Andy belongs to the NRA. He’s probably a republican.

The Missing Premise or Conclusion? • Kym is telling the truth; nine times out of ten, when someone says she cares for what people think and feel, she’s telling the truth.

ID the Sample, Population, & Attribute of Interest • Most of my professors at CR wear glasses; it’s a good bet that professors at all colleges wear glasses.

ID the Sample, Population, & Attribute of Interest • CR students are stylish! Did you see the guys at that party on Saturday?

1-5…How Well Does the Sample Represent the Population: 1= very well; 5 very poorly • The coffee in that pot is awful. I just had a cup. • The coffee at Adele’s is awful. I just had a cup. • Starbucks coffee is strong. I just had a cup.

1-5…How Well Does the Sample Represent the Population: 1= very well; 5 very poorly • Sherry doesn’t write very well, based on how poorly she did on this 5-page paper. • Sherry writes very well, based on how well she did on this 5-page paper.

1-5…How Well Does the Sample Represent the Population: 1= very well; 5 very poorly • Salesperson: As you can see from these two pictures, HDTV is much sharper than regular TV.

Claim: “Most CR students I’ve met believe in God. Therefore, most CR students believe in God.” • Students you met were leaving a local church after Sunday services. • Students you met were all first-year students. • Students you met were all philosophy majors. • Students you met were selected by picking every tenth name on an alphabetical list of students’ names. • Students were all students who responded to a questionnaire titled “Survey of Student Religious Beliefs.” • Students were randomly selected from a list of registered automobile owners.

Analogy or Argument from Analogy? • I love washing dishes like I love cleaning the bathroom.

Analogy or Argument from Analogy? • Too much sun will make your face leathery. I suppose it will have the same effect on your hands.

Analogy or Argument from Analogy? • Hammers can be used as deadly weapons, and guns can be used as deadly weapons. It would be dumb to regulate the sale of hammers, so it’s also dumb to regulate the sale of hammers.

Rank from Most Similar to Most Dissimilar • Football and bowling. • Football and golf. • Football and basketball. • Football and chess. • Football and tennis.

Rank from Most Similar to Most Dissimilar • Rock concert and bluegrass concert. • Watching Lady Gaga on YouTube and seeing her in concert. • Going to ballet and watching Lady Gaga. • Listening to classical music and reading poetry. • Seeing Lady Gaga in concert and watching 4th of July fireworks show.

Evaluate the Strength of the Argument • Ericka was good as the manager of Sushi Spot, so she’ll probably be good as the manager of Napa Auto Parts.

Evaluate the Strength of the Argument • LaRissa is great at bowling. She’d probably be great at poker. • LaRissa is great at bowling. She’d probably be great at croquet.

Evaluate the Strength of the Argument • Joe shows up to work on time. I’ll bet he pays his rent on time.

Evaluate the Argument • “The proponents of school vouchers say, in essence, that if competition produces excellences in other fields—consumer products, athletics, and higher education, to name but three—it would be healthy for schools as well. Their logic is difficult to refute.” • Dan Walters, columnist, Sacramento Bee

Slanted? • Was British Petroleum (BP) slow to respond to the gulf oil spill because they didn’t care or because they hadn’t adequately prepared for drilling in the deep water?

Slanted? • Do you agree or disagree that immigration laws should be more vigorously enforced?

Slanted? • Polls indicate that most Americans are satisfied with their health care. Do you agree that health care reform is needed?

Slanted? • When framing new laws, should legislators be guided by Judeo-Christian principles or only by secular considerations?

Exercise 10-30 1. My cousin uses a Dodge truck on his ranch; it has over 300,000 miles on the original engine. Obviously, Dodge really does build tough trucks.

2. Things are getting better all the time.

3. I ordered a packet of California watermelon seeds from Hansen Seed Company last year, and they germinated like crazy. I expect the seeds I ordered this year to sprout, too. Of course, it’s a little colder up here in Canada than it was in El Paso.

4. Poker? Nah, I don’t like card games.

5. Drug abuse among pro athletes is unquestionably a serious and widespread problem. Why, last week three players from just one team said they used HGH!

6. Orange cats are easy to train. I had one once—Gross Kitty we called him—and you could teach that cat to ski if you wanted to.

7. You’re gonna take a course from Professor Toadstool? You should talk to Stan and Charlie. They both think she’s awful. She flunked both of them.

8. Most Americans favor a national lottery to reduce the federal debt, judging from the poll taken in Las Vegas where about 80% said they liked the idea.

9. Young people these days are too easily distracted by things. Just look at the kids in this class.

10. Most Ohio residents are worried about air quality. In a survey taken in Cleveland, more than half the respondents identified air pollution as the most significant environmental hazard.

Inductive Reasoning