Class notes - September 13, 2007

1. Review ambiguous or unclear language.  What makes it unclear?  See Passage 3 in Chapter 4.  
2. Stem cell articles 
1. Issue surrounding both articles.
2. Conclusion each reached
1. Dean
2. Reagan
3. Support
1. Dean
2. Reagan
4. Is there any unclear language used?  Interesting language used?
1. Dean
2. Reagan
3. What makes this language unclear?  How can it be interpreted?
3. Impediments to critical thinking
1. Emotion - How many people believe that we should use embryos to carry out stem cell research?  How many people believe that we should not use embryos?
2. If you are emotionally invested in a particular stance, it will be very hard to apply critical thinking skills to those opposing your view.
1. But...if you can look dispassionately at their arguments, you may either find some common ground or...
2. You may find ammunition that you can use to carry out your own debate.  Knowledge is power.
4. Assumptions in general
1. Underlie many arguments
2. Help to move the argument along
3. May be stated, but are usually unstated.
4. Reflect either values that underlie the case or assumptions about how the world works.
5. Value assumptions/value conflicts
1. What are "values"?
2. Value assumptions are assumptions about the way the world should be.  
3. If they are values, are there any that we don't value?
4. Then why do we have conflicts if values are universal.
5. Authorial intent - Who is this person and what may help us to understand his/her values?
6. Articles
6. Descriptive assumptions
1. Focus on those assumptions that are necessary to the supporting arguments.
2. They describe a condition that must be met in order to accept the argument.
3. They support the argument and to take another side breaks down the argument.