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CS Club Meets 5:00 Mondays - Library - 3rd floor - Humboldt Scholars Lab
* (make two rights from the staircase and it should be on your left)
* come anytime!
* Contact att162@humboldt.edu (Andy Thorsen) with any questions about
the club
* Watch for events!
* Join the CS Club Discord! -> email att162@humboldt.edu with your request
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* NEXT READING ASSIGNMENT -
* CHAPTER 9 - CATEGORICAL LOGIC
* probably starting to discuss on Monday
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* continuing our discussion of
* some classic patterns for inductive arguments
* inductive generalization
* predictive argument
* argument from authority
* causal argument
* statistical argument
* argument by analogy
* review: inductive generalization -
attributing some characteristic to most or all members of
a given class
* continuing with:
* predictive argument - says something about the future
based on based on patterns seen in the past
* It has rained over 2 inches a month in January for the last
10 Januaries. So, it will PROBABLY rain over 2 inches
again this January.
* argument from authority - cites some expert, authority,
or eyewitness
* Dentists say sugary gum causes more cavities. I chew a lot
of sugary gum. So I will likely have more cavities.
* statistical argument - uses some numerical evidence to support
its conclusion
* 85% of HSU students are from California. Ana is an HSU
student. So Ana is probably from California.
* argument by analogy -
* analogy - a comparison of 2 or more things that are
claimed to be alike in some RELEVANT aspect
* argument by analogy - uses an analogy to support its
conclusion
* Newspapers are like weather reports. We don't blame
weather reports when the weather is bad. Therefore,
we shouldn't blame newspapers for bad news.
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* so, how can we talk about the "goodness" or "badness"
of a deductive or inductive argument?
* there ARE some specific logical terms for some of
this;
* for a DEDUCTIVE argument,
we can judge its [logical] VALIDITY
can judge its [logical] SOUNDNESS
* for an INDUCTIVE argument,
we can judge its [logical] STRENGTH
can judge its [logical] COGENCY
* deductive VALIDITY -
* is ONLY about the logical STRUCTURE of the argument
* 2 questions to ask:
* Does the conclusion follow from the premises?
IF not, it is NOT a VALID argument
* Is it possible that the conclusion could be false,
even if its permise(s) are true?
If not, it is not a VALID argument
* deductive SOUNDNESS
* for a VALID deductive argument,
(after determining that a deductive argument is VALID),
then and ONLY then can we ask whether it is SOUND
* A SOUND deductive argument is a valid deductive argument
that ALSO has TRUE premise(s) AND a logical,
relevant connection to its TRUE conclusions
* NOTE: a true conclusion is NOT enough to determine
soundness --
for example, this is an argument with valid logic
and a true conclusion, BUT it is not SOUND:
All fruits are vegetables. Spinach is a fruit.
Therefore, spinach is a vegetable.
* Note -- if a deductive argument is invalid,
it cannot be sound;
AND, all sound arguments are valid,
BUT not all valid arguments are sound...