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1 Midterm Examination Philosophy 130 Spring 2015 I O'Rourke This examination has three parts: (1) linguistic acts, speech acts, and conversational acts; (2) language and argument; and (3) fallacious reasoning. The exam is worth 150 points. I. Linguistic Acts, Speech Acts, and Conversational Acts ( 40) A. Utterance Analysis (20 points): Describe the linguistic act, the speech act, and a conversational act that A might be performing in the following situation. 1. A is very frustrated. B walks in and says, "Wow. You look upset. What's up?" A shakes her head and responds, "Have you ever had one of those days?" Linguistic act: q u e 5 fi' tr/\. ; v1 fb r,, 11 ~- -~ 0 ;11-kr/oJ o,-j..v< \11400~ Speech act: 4, \ (.,. rke f-or, o 1 q.,11e5,-. hv1 -f'!v,f<& htr11 w i} h +k J. ~ ~ d{ ic /i le I\ t..e_, V1 -fie_ Conversational act: L1 "~fl t1...:~. 11 1,; ~ 1'1.. A tp/ U e.s j," tty\ 1-/. 4.~,xJ 5 / r {) ~ W V I t ' t\_ f V?$ p Wf 1. ' i V\ "'f J #e_ IVI H; VV1 o{ re le".? vj ce,. co fl'f e ~,Y/ J ike. lo/\..re r5 >-/1'0vtcl ( """' f I i c cl fv n Yk~ f {l i I,P" v 5 +" +J A lit<.~ ta ba 4 J Ci. 7, B. Conversational Implicature (20 points): Indicate which, if any, of Grice's conversational rules are violated by the italicized sentence in each of the following conversations. Assume a standard context. While there may be more than one involved, you need only list one. 1. A: I hear you went to the opera last night; how was the lead singer? B: The singer produced a series of sounds corresponding closely to the score of an aria from 'Rigoletto'. (Levinson 1983) frl f4 Y) r)-e r ( 0 r Q v d V1+;11). 2. "I am such a slug." 1

2 3. "Do you know what time it is?" "Yes." 4. "To Whom It May Concern. I write on behalf of A, an applicant for graduate school in philosophy at your university. A is currently the sharpest dresser in the philosophy department. Sincerely, B" II. Language and Argument (60) A. Standard Form ( 10 points): Put the following argument in explicit standard form. 1. If Obama doesn't do something definitive about ISIS, the Republicans will gain political ground. If the Republicans gain political ground, they'll be a threat to regain the presidency in Obama doesn't want that to happen, so he'll surely do something definitive about ISIS. P I f D J _I t I i,,. ' e~l-1 ',, A!')(~" \A 2i~vi( v'i J,\)I I S'f (,, - tjdt1jitt-\ O{l)t>)~'f v1r) )OYI{ lflt.1v17 Vt't~)1'C\f; '"ij)v!.~ - ~.,.-' \ ". ' ' : i \. I I ' 1., ( :J'I.[ _..., 1'. / )/!!, ( '. ; I / jl)j 1\,, c (:1 '.. _, L-' ~} \) // f f. f, i ;Ii J lei,, '.. ' ' _ l I! P2. /f /~ 1l_e(':'Hovt1 )"''. pol_;+,o/ 7r 0 ~~J~_~./)( /,,{! f 1' /. i L'.' r ~ _,, V\ 1". It) fv) c,! l.) P,~/r ~ 1 t \-""1 'l c) f -~--~ t( "\ (@ Ct. 'TD! \ J (.,;\, I ~ r l,, ',,,,,. '~ ";, n. ob t?.l'k ~ ~m /1 'r iljm 1 ilrl f2e fu b pr"i' f ;J e ri c y i"" -i,o I b I; CcJ0 1 1i tt~oi:" lt.e ~II do 5nrvte Thi0j c/e FA;~\Jf a.bovf \ Sl ~ B. Validity and Soundness (20 points): Indicate whether the following argument is valid and whether it is sound. 1. Each of the following sentences in this argument are true: (A) Most of the students turned in their homework. (B) Some of the students came late to class. ( C) Therefore, some of the students who turned in their homework came late to class. J1- vtl P tdf,..-r.-'.. -:~:==~:;::;-~,-~~.~ - ~--. "".,.~-. 11tV. r / \ ~ \''W ~. JI ~ t1 y I I. 'l. i ' ~, r;( I(\ ; I.,\I,\)\ \If:'~ I. i ( ' \\ \ \ ""~ ''"._,:~ "'...~-- -- ~ '--... ~~...,._.- e d'-_,,,~ ~ ~""'" 2

3 C. Marking the Language of Arguments (30 points): Read the following passage. Then, mark each of the ten numbered, italicized expressions using the following abbreviations: 1. M = argument marker 6. E+ =positive evaluative term 2. A = assuring term 7. R =rhetorical device (e.g., irony, understatement, hyperbole, 3. G = guarding term metaphor) 4. D = discounting term 8. N = none of the above 5. E- = negative evaluative term From Say No to Gums on College Campuses By Jade Reindl and Jean Cocco-CNN -26 February 2015 (CNN) What should our fellow students make sure they have before heading to class in the morning? Extra pencils? Meal cards? A bulletproof vest? The gun lobby is now pushing bills in state legislatures across the country that would allow guns onto college campuses. Here in Florida, they're pushing a group of five bills that would force public colleges and universities to allow hidden, loaded guns on campus, and would even allow guns in K-12 schools. For the safety of our fellow students, we can't let these bills get further than they already have. ; Gun lobbyists point to last year's tragic [l] shooting that shook [2] Florida State as evidence of the need for guns on college campuses. But [3] that wasn't even the most recent shooting on a Florida college campus. This week, three students were shot at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach. When it comes to campus safety, let's listen to those who know the issue best. FSU President John Thrasher is strongly opposed to allowing people to carry hidden, loaded guns on campus. FSU's Police Chief David Perry is also opposed; he says it would make it harder for law enforcement to tell which armed students are "good guys" and which are "bad guys." We should thank law enforcement for responding to these shootings courageously [4], not pass laws that make their jobs more dangerous. Perry and Thrasher are not alone. In fact [5], the entire State University System of Florida opposes concealed carry on campus. And university police chiefs all over the country agree [ 6]: in a 2009 poll, only 5% thought that allowing students to carry guns on campus would prevent shootings. Ninety-five percent of college presidents oppose guns on campus. And in 2013, a poll of students at 15 Midwestern colleges found that most [7] opposed concealed guns on campus, too. It's easy to understand why the people who know our colleges best are in agreement. Just last week [8], an argument at a University of Georgia fraternity escalated when a student pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and started firing. Students understand that - as Florida's chapter of Moms Demand Action has already pointed out - college is already rife with risk factors, including drugs, alcohol and academic pressures. Adding guns to that mix is dangerous and irresponsible [9]. 3

4 All this begs the question: if campus police, teachers and the entire state university system oppose guns on campus, why are we even debating the issue? Because [IO] it's a priority for the gun lobby, whose mission is clear: more guns, caitied by more people, in more public places. 1: f ~ 2: ~ (or &--) 3: D 4: E+s: A 6:.ff 7: q s: N 9:.f - io:m IHo Fallacious Reasoning (50) A. Each of the following is a multiple-choice question that supplies an argument and asks you to indicate which type of argument it is. (20 points) 1. There is no justice! I missed one more point on the test than him, and I get a 3.5 and he gets a 4.0? What? Seriously, that's messed up. Argument from the heap ~~ Fallacy of equivocation (i.e., an equivocal argument) 2. A second is not eternity, obviously. If you add another second, you get two seconds, which is not eternity. Add another second again. That gets you three, which is not eternity. Keep adding seconds and you will never get to eternity. So there is no such thing as eternity. Conceptual slippery slope argument Fairness slippery slope argument ~~ 4

5 ~I 3. His blood is boiling. Blood boils at around 100 C. Therefore, his blood must be 100 C! Conceptual slippery slope [I]f once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he comes next to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination. Once begin upon this downward path, you never know where you are to stop. Many a man has dated his ruin from some murder or other that perhaps he thought little of at the time. (Thomas De Quincey, "Second Paper on Murd_er") Argument from the heap Fairness slippery slope argument...,..~..."""" 0. Causal slippery slop~" ")i ~ ~~---m..,_,,._...,.,- B. Provide a conceptual slippery slope argument for this conclusion: there is really no difference between being rich and being poor. Is this a good argument? Explain. (20 pts.) p 2._ (t ~ r) v I, <j i v. j} D1J (" p3, If 1 O<J -ht Ice r;, P''Ari y -Po"" "' f. l~ r lt''a; 11-iz (r-< s+ilf ~;e~ ~ r tf. l 6 rrf ; >4 \J < f 1' j Me r ti vii :e s -J-o fk~ f o or, t1ylvf ~ "e rl'v'!v;j('j' 4av'A. 1Vl.e r. (~~ jht r~vr '-.)1 If /'0''"\ill f~ & t c1.a c/( ilt c r ( c ~ r; t, fti... s. /+tft)ry Pl(J 70~ w;/i <VUirfJ(./(J /i11,,~ erf tt pl&1~e w 11.t1~ b Ht... h tj.,v e ~.e f t11 Ylt~ l{ ou Vl 1 C11' nt " vr. rt y ;!!' 1 ~(? /h< f' iel, r ;(h, f~-w_u~..)_ti_~ v_:(.[ P ~ ~ p v or C.t /~fe_ 1''9 V{O cf,fj.c 5 re,,vtce ).Jef,wee11 bpt'vtj (','(~ {~ ~~ 11,r. v/{) A.._ t~)<.1 r o,,

6 \ C. For the following argument, (a) select the type of argument it is, and (b) explain whether or not you take it to be a good argument. ( 10 points) 1. If I let you get away with that, you'll recognize that I'm a soft touch, and you'll take advantage of me again. This will keep happening until you've lost all respect for me. So I have to put my foot down here and say no - I cannot let you get away with that. Causal slippery slope argument /"'"" e Conceptuarslippecy-Sl~p~ument Fallacy of equivocation (i.e., an equivocal argument) e Argument from the heap Extra Credit A. True/False (10 points): Determine whether the following are true or false and circle your answer. 1. If an argument is valid, all of its steps must be true. T I /V 2. An argument cannot be sound unless its conclusion is true(~); F 3. In order for you to tell anything about the validity of an argument from the ac~ truth values of the constituent sentences, all of its premises must be true. T l(ej 4. Every argwnent with a true conclusion is valid. T I 5. Every unsound argument is invalid. T 1@ 6