Heusser Philosophy 100 Handout #5b

Argumentation: Practice Exercises

I. Identify the Conclusion of the following arguments:

II. Indicate whether the following arguments are Inductive or Deductive:

III. You might also consider whether the following arguments are deductively Valid or Invalid: (Note: There will only be true-false questions on validity and soundness)

1) If you happen to be a cat, then you happen to be snobby. You are not snobby. So, you do not happen to be a cat.

2) You must have recently purchased a dog at PetCo©, since you either have a dog or a cat as a pet and I know you do not have a cat.

3) The earth is older than 7 thousand years old (in fact quite a bit older) since carbon dating and other extremely reliable scientific methods have demonstrated this.

4) A watch is such a complicated mechanism that it could not have come about by chance – It had to have been created by an inventive and creative watchmaker. Subsequently, an inventive and creative universe maker must have also created the universe. For the universe is also a complicated mechanism. (Paraphrase of Paley)

5) If God is loving, then if God condemns sinners to eternal damnation, God is unjust. Nevertheless, God is loving. God is also not unjust. Hence, God does not condemn sinners to eternal damnation.

6) If God is wholly good and omniscient, then God would eliminate evil (evil does not exist) assuming that God is omnipotent. But God is wholly good and omniscient. However, evil does exist. Accordingly, God is not omnipotent. (Paraphrase of Mackie)

7) We are free only if we have a (non-spatial) spirit outside of the causal forces in nature. If we think with our physical brains only then we do not have such a spirit. We do think with our physical brains only. Therefore, we are not free after all. (Hard Determinism)

8) Morality does not exist unless there is a God who has given us some mandates. But if the only morality is such that God has given us some mandates, then there is no moral reason to follow those mandates. Therefore, morality does not exist or there is no reason to follow God’s mandates. (Against the Divine Command Theory)

9) We do not go into or out of existence, because if the laws of physics are correct, then mass is never lost and it never disappears. If mass is equal to energy (E = MC²) then if mass is never lost and it never disappears, then energy is never lost and energy never disappears. Furthermore, mass is the same as energy and the laws of physics are correct. Given that mass and energy never disappear, we do not go into or out of existence.