Phil 004
Week 3 – Day 3
Chapter 3: Clarity of an
Argument
Clear Thinking/Writing, and
Critical Thinking (Ch3)
• Argument may not really be an
argument if it’s not clear;
confusing.
• Prime culprits:
• Missing information, definitions,
context, etc.
• Vagueness
• Ambiguity
Syntax & Semantics
• “Jordan could write more
profound essays.”
– Syntax Ambiguity: “More” what?
• “Charles drew his gun.”
– Semantic Ambiguity: “Drew” has
more than one meaning.
57
Ambiguous Headlines:
Review of Answers
• Groups: Tell me how the following
headlines are ambiguous. Are they
syntactically ambiguous or
semantically ambiguous? +1 bonus
point to group that gets the most
correct.
58
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“PROSTITUTES APPEAL
TO POPE”
–Semantic (“appeal”)
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“QUEEN MARY HAVING
BOTTOM SCRAPED”
–Semantic (“Queen
Mary”)
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“MINERS REFUSE TO
WORK AFTER DEATH”
–Syntax (does this refer to
after your own death or
somebody else’s)
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“MILK DRINKERS ARE
TURNING TO POWDER”
–Semantic (“turning”)
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“SAFETY EXPERTS SAY
SCHOOL BUS
PASSENGERS SHOULD
BE BELTED”
–Semantic (“belted”)
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“MAN EATING PIRANHA
MISTAKENLY SOLD AS
PET FISH”
– Semantic (“man eating piranha”)
– Syntax (if this refers to a person
who was eating a piranha, the
sentence could have been
structured differently)
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“INCLUDE YOUR
CHILDREN WHEN
BAKING COOKIES”
–Syntax (does this refer to
including your children in
the activity or as an
ingredient)
Ambiguous Headlines
Second Try!!
• Groups: Tell me how the following
headlines are ambiguous. Are they
syntactically ambiguous or
semantically ambiguous? +1 bonus
point to group that gets the most
correct.
66
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“KIDS MAKE
NUTRITIOUS SNACKS”
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“STOLEN PAINTING
FOUND BY TREE”
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“GRANDMOTHER OF
EIGHT MAKES HOLE IN
ONE”
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“DRUNK GETS NINE
MONTHS IN VIOLIN
CASE”
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“NURSE HELPS DOG
BITE VICTIM”
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“ENRAGED COW
INJURES FARMER WITH
AX”
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“WOMAN GETS 9 YEARS
FOR KILLING 11TH
HUSBAND”
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“KIDS MAKE
NUTRITIOUS SNACKS”
–Semantic (“make”)
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“STOLEN PAINTING
FOUND BY TREE”
–Semantic (“by”)
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“GRANDMOTHER OF
EIGHT MAKES HOLE IN
ONE”
– Semantic (“hole in one”)
– Syntax (if this refers to making a
hole in one of the children this
sentence could be restructured)
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“DRUNK GETS NINE
MONTHS IN VIOLIN
CASE”
–Semantics (“case”)
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“NURSE HELPS DOG
BITE VICTIM”
–Syntax (does this refer to
a victim bitten by a dog
or assisting a dog in the
biting of a person)
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“ENRAGED COW
INJURES FARMER WITH
AX”
–Syntax (does this refer to
a farmer with an ax or a
cow with an ax)
What Kind of
Ambiguity?
• Real life headlines:
–“WOMAN GETS 9 YEARS
FOR KILLING 11TH
HUSBAND”
– Syntax (does this refer to a
women who has killed 11
husbands or does this refer to
the killing of her 11th husband)
How is this ambiguous?
• De Anza college students drink more
beer than Foothill college students.
•Are we saying
“collectively, De Anza
students drink more (more
drinks consumed by De
Anza college students in
total)
•Are we saying
individually, more De Anza
students drink than
Foothill students (more
often than not, a De Anza
student will drink more.) 83
Types of Ambiguity
1. Syntax
2. Semantic
3. Grouping
84
“Grouping Ambiguity”
When it is unclear if you are
referring to a group of things
collectively or individually.
85
Grouping Ambiguity
• “Attorneys make less money than
physicians.”
• “Seven people rode in that taxi.”
• “Which causes more air pollution,
lawn mowers or motorcycles?”
86
Group Activity
• Exercise 3-8 #2, 8, 9, 13,
– Group or individual?
•
•
•
•
2. Group
8. Individual
9. Group
11. Individual
87
Group Related
Fallacies
• When looking at an argument beware of group
related fallacies.
• Fallacy of Division: To conclude that what is
true of a group/whole is true of the
individuals/parts.
• “Our country is the wealthiest in the world, so
you must be richer than everyone in France.”
• “In 2011 the NY Giants were the best team in
football, so Eli Manning must have been the best
quarterback in football.”
• “De Anza is a great school, so all De Anza
students must be great!”
88
Group Related
Fallacies
• When looking at an argument beware of group
related fallacies.
• Fallacy of Composition: To conclude that what
is true of an individual/parts is true of the
group/whole.
• “A car makes less pollution than a bus.
Therefore, cars are less of a pollution problem
than buses.”
• “Atoms are colorless. Cats are made of atoms,
so cats are colorless.”
• “I love my dog, Spot. So, I must love all dogs.”
89
Types of Ambiguity
1. Syntax
2. Semantic
3. Grouping
90