1). In our last discussion week we talked about Violating the Principle of Rational Discussion (page 202) and Content Fallacies (page 201). This week I would like you to discuss the idea of repairing arguments. For this question, please come up with an argument that needs to be repaired. Look over the examples on pages 63-67. Come up with your own example and 'discuss' it as they do in the text. To accomplish this, you should understand the Principle of Rational Discussion and the concept of Repairing Arguments.
Original Argument:
Any who drinks alcohol all day every day is an alcoholic, therefore Mandy is an alcoholic.
This argument is very weak because it is missing a premise, fortunately this argument can be repaired to the point of making the argument stronger or valid. The premise that is missing is "Mandy drinks alcohol all day every day." Without this premise present the conclusion could turn out false due to the weakness of the argument to begin with.
The stronger argument would then turn into:
Any who drinks alcohol all day every day is an alcoholic. Mandy drinks alcohol all day every day, therefore she is an alcoholic.
Another example of repairing an argument is: Sean is wearing green and yellow, which means he must be a Oakland A's fan.
This argument is definitely weak because there are multiple teams out there whose team colors are green and yellow for instance the Green Bay Packers.
The repaired argument should be something like:
Sean is wearing green and yellow to the Giants vs A's game, therefore he must be an Oakland A's fan.
I think you did a great job describing how to repair weak arguments! Your examples were very clear and it was helpful that you gave two. When it comes to arguments like the examples you gave, one small piece could make such a difference in determining the validity of the argument, and whether it is really strong. Your second example was great too, because the A’s are not the only team with yellow and green colors, and that is something that needs to be stated specifically in an argument in order for it to be valid or strong. Good job.
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