Yuleng Zeng
8/21/2019
“Every other progressive nation has already adopted a program of government-provided health care; the United States likewise should abandon its outmoded system of private medicine.”
THE RETURN OF THE PRIVATEERS A long time ago, politicians hired private companies to do government work. They were mercenary ships, called privateers.
We know them as pirates.
Today, right here in New York State, politicians are trying to hoist the same old idea. This time around, calling it privatization.
Let them get away with it, and privateers will be loose again
In the constitutional struggles of the seventeenth century, the modern theory of natural law—the theory of individual rights—was eventually perfected. Stripped of the trappings which each particular theorist hung upon it, the bare theory was a simple pattern of … assumptions which, in the opinion of the men whose interests they served, were as obviously true as the axioms of Euclid. [Richard Schlatter, Private Property]
We should oppose any effort by government to censor obscene books, movies, or other forms of expression, no matter how offensive we may find such material. The reason is that once government has the power to ban obscenity, that precedent will open the door to further controls on speech: banning racist remarks, then speech that the majority finds offensive, then speech that opposes government policies, and so on until no one is free to say anything without government permission.
Society has an obligation to support the needy, because people who cannot provide for themselves have a right to the resources of the community.”
Grades are a crude and mechanical device that does not measure the nuances of student performance. Therefore, student work should not be graded.
Check the List of fallacies on Wikipedia. Select a fallacy that is:
Then study it and explain it to the rest of the class. Given examples.
Because I believe or want it to be true.
“I was just brought up to believe in X.”
“That may be true for you, but it isn’t true for me.”
True merely because majority believe it.
“I oppose socialized medicine because it is inconsistent with our tradition of private medical practice.”
“Every other progressive nation has already adopted a program of government-provided health care; the United States likewise should abandon its outmoded system of private medicine.”
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident—that all men are created equal.” . . . I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. [Quoted from Let the Trumpet Sound, by Stephen B. Oates]
THE RETURN OF THE PRIVATEERS
> A long time ago, politicians hired private companies to do government work. They were mercenary ships, called privateers.
> We know them as pirates.
> Today, right here in New York State, politicians are trying to hoist the same old idea. This time around, calling it privatization.
> Let them get away with it, and privateers will be loose again
Credibility: to accumulate and expand our knowledge.
How do we evaluate credibility?
competent and objective
red flag \(\neq\) wrong
dishonest or biased
“you’re another”
inconsistent with practice
vested interest (“poisoning the well”)
“Why are you whistling?”
“To keep the elephants away.”
“But there aren’t any elephants around here.”
“See? It works.”
Some examples of generalization.
Another example about free speech.
We should oppose any effort by government to censor obscene books, movies, or other forms of expression, no matter how offensive we may find such material. The reason is that once government has the power to ban obscenity, that precedent will open the door to further controls on speech: banning racist remarks, then speech that the majority finds offensive, then speech that opposes government policies, and so on until no one is free to say anything without government permission.
Another pair of examples.
For example: “[l] Society has an obligation to support the needy, because [2] people who cannot provide for themselves have a right to the resources of the community.”
[Letter] grades are a crude and mechanical device that does not measure the nuances of student performance.
Student work should not be graded [evaluated].
Write down one fallacy you made (or you came across) in this class.
If we pass a law to require that guns be registered with the government, it will be easier for the government to take the next step of confiscating guns. So we must oppose gun registration now.
Wilson used abusive language toward the child who threw a stone at his car. Since child abuse is a crime, he should be reported to the authorities.
“[The classical liberals] put forward their ideas as immutable truths good at all times and places; they had no idea of historic relativity . . . The tragedy is that although these liberals were the sworn foes of political absolutism, they were themselves absolutist in the social creed they formulated.”[John Dewey, Liberalism and Social Action,pp. 33–34]
“White House spokesman Robert Gibbsdefended Obama’s all-out campaign for Chicago’s Olympics bid by claiming America will see a “tangible economic benefit.” But as is always the case with sports corporate welfare disguised as “economic development,” an elite few will benefit more than others.” Michelle Malkin, “All President’s Cronies Are Going For Gold,” Investors Business Daily
Resources for debates 25 Controversial Topics to Help You Start Your Research.
This section is mostly notes about the fallacy chapter from the Art of Reasoning by David Kelly. More resources: 15 Logical Fallacies You Should Know Before Getting Into a Debate. Spot the Flaw in a Politician’s Argument With This Guide to Logical Fallacies. And