This week, the
concept I found the most useful was the section on causal arguments. Although
straightforward and quite easy to comprehend, this section was helpful in breaking
down the concept and explaining how to use causal reasoning effectively. As
mentioned in the book, a causal argument is “an argument that claims something
is (or is not) the cause of something else.” It goes on further explaining how
we can determine what really causes something or how. If we conclude that
something is the cause but really is not, we are actually committing a fallacy
and so we need to be careful in this kind of argument. A subsection explains
what correlations are. It is when “two events occur together regularly at rates
higher than probability.” A positive correlation is when the chances of an
event increases, the chances of another event also increases. A negative
correlation is when the chances of an event increases, the other decreases. We
should also use correlations with caution because they may not always be
reliable. Finally, causal arguments should follow the following criteria: (1)
the evidence should be reliable, (2) there should not be fallacies, (3) the
data should be current and up-to-date, and (4) the conclusion should logically
follow the premises.
Hi Louise, I absolutely agree with you. I think this is a concept we overlook in our everyday lives. As humans, we like to think that everything that happens in our lives has a reason. I think that our lives are multiple happenings of casual arguments, relationships, and happenings. I like that this section talked about the positive and negative correlations that come with casual arguments. This is a good way to look at casual arguments because there are always good and bad things that can come out of situations just like an argument can be positive or negatively correlated.
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