PHIL 447 Week 6 Discussion 1 & 2 Latest

Week 6 Discussion 1 – Inductive Reasoning (graded)

In America, we are bombarded by opinion polls. Such polls use the method of inductive generalizing from a sample, presuming that the answers given by a small number of respondents represent the attitudes of American voters as a whole. Do a search on the Internet for a recent opinion poll. Paste the results in your discussion response. Look at the report of the poll results and discuss how strong you believe these poll results are. Refer to such aspects of inductive generalizing as the sampling frame, how representative the poll sample was, and how biased the poll might be.

Please see comments in “Please Start Here” before addressing this discussion prompt.

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PHIL 447 Week 6 Discussion 2 – Hypotheses (graded)

According to the Moore and Parker (2015), a hypothesis is “a causal explanation offered for further investigation or testing” (p.443). The book provides several methods for testing the quality of a hypothesis [See pages 363-367]. Choose one of the statements below and then use one or more of the three tests provided in the textbook to evaluate the quality of the hypothesis. Identify the hypothesis in the statement, and then say why it is or is not a good one.

1. There were objects flying everywhere in that room. Either an earthquake or ghosts could have made those objects move. Since there was no earthquake reported, it must have been ghosts.

2. Crop circles are complicated, symmetrical designs formed in grain fields through depressing grain stalks. Because of their complexity and symmetry, they cannot be natural phenomena. These crop circles appear overnight. Since it would take far too long and too much complex planning for one or two people to make these designs, which can be seen only from above, aliens from outer space must be making them.

3. The other day, I was walking in the mall and suddenly remembered an old school friend whom I had not spoken to in years. Not five minutes later, there I was face to face with my old friend. There must have been some deep karmic connection that drew us together that day.

4. Studies show that families who regularly eat their meals together have children who perform better than average at school. Clearly, communal family meals are essential to student success.

Moore, B.N. & Parker, R. (2015). Critical thinking (11th ed). New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

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