Heusser Philosophy 100 SG #4f

Conceptual Analysis

I. Necessary vs. Sufficient Conditions

1. Q is necessary for P if:

It is impossible for something to be P without being Q

Example: Having money is necessary for paying the rent.

2. Q is sufficient for P if:

It is impossible for something to be Q and not P.

Example: Being a cat is sufficient for being an animal.

Exercises: True or False?

1. Being stupid is necessary for flunking out of college.

2. Being a mammal is a sufficient condition for being conscious.

3. Having a brain is a sufficient condition for being conscious.

4. Acting against the law is neither necessary nor sufficient for being morally wrong.

5. Being rich is sufficient for being happy.

II. Logical vs. Causal Possibility

1. It is not possible for Cows to fly.

2. It is not possible for a Unicorn to be in the room at the same time that Unicorns do not exist.

Something is causally possible if it does not violate the laws of nature.

Something is logically possible if it does not violate a law of logic (i.e., entail a contradiction).

Exercises: True or False?

1. It is causally possible for water to turn into gold.

2. It is causally possible that an earthquake will destroy all LA buildings tomorrow.

3. It is logically possible that a person is taller than herself.

4. It is logically possible that all faculty members at Cypress are space aliens.

5. Being causally possible is a sufficient condition for being logically possible.

6. It is causally possible that one person robs all the banks in Los Angeles during one day.

Refute the following hypotheses by finding logically possible scenarios that constitute counterexamples to the claims:

1. In order to be completely happy it is necessary to have shelter and some clothing.

2. If people lose their fear of hell, they will cease to go to church.

3. We should always do what makes the majority of people happy.

4. Being honest is the best policy.

5. It is not possible to fool all the people all of the time.