Hu260 Week 8

10 Jun Hu260 Week 8

Week 8 Quiz

Question 1

Despite our rational nature, our ability to reason well is often affected by psychological biases that interfere with the formation of good arguments. Identify three such biases and explain how they negatively impact our ability to reason.

Question 2

The advent of social media has changed the norms and modes of public discourse. In at least 200 words, explain the importance of (a) evaluating and fact-checking individual claims, (b) the benefits and negatives of instantaneous mass communication, and (c) the need for civility in online interactions.

Question 3

Identify the fallacy: “Bob is trustworthy because he says so, and we can trust what Bob says because he’s trustworthy.”

 

Fallacy   of composition

 

Begging   the question

 

Genetic   falacy

 

Appeal   to authority

 

Ad   hominem

Question 4

Identify the fallacy: “All banks have money. All rivers have banks. Therefore, all rivers have money.”

 

Equivocation

 

Ad   hominem

 

Slippery   slope

 

Appeal   to ignorance

 

False   cause

Question 5

Identify the fallacy: “You shouldn’t trust Bob. His best friend is a racist.”

 

Appeal   to popularity

 

Appeal   to ignorance

 

Appeal   to tradition

 

Two   wrongs make a right

 

Guilt   by association

Question 6

Identify the fallacy: “Republicans are extremists who believe that government is fundamentally evil.”

 

False   dilemma

 

Fallacy   of composition

 

Straw   man

 

Ad   hominem

 

Begging   the question

Question 7

Identify the fallacy: “You should buy Pepsi because Taylor Swift said so.”

 

Appeal   to authority

 

False   dilemma

 

Equivocation

 

Appeal   to pity

 

Fallacy   of division

Question 8

Identify two techniques that are often used to slant the news.

Question 9

Compare and contrast “old media” with “new media.”

Question 10

Define rationalization and explain how it is it sometimes applied.

Question 11

What is a “defense mechanism,” in the context of poor reasoning?

Question 12

What is good news-reporting supposed to look like?

 

Assignment 

Strategies for Decision Making – Week 8 Assignment

Civility on the Internet

The internet offers anonymity, and anonymity changes the way in which we present ourselves. Many individuals, acting behind the veil of a screen, say things and do things that they would otherwise not do in a face-to-face environment. This has led to an online phenomenon known as “trolling,” wherein individuals deliberately act to incite anger or resentment. Add to this the ways in which online discussions can get heated very quickly, and it is clear that civility is becoming a lost art.

You will be writing a five-paragraph essay in which you explain the nature of civility, why it is important in an online setting, and what can be done to recover civility in the context of news media and cyber-culture.

1. Your first paragraph should contain a definition of civility and an explanation of what it means to be civil.

2. Your second paragraph should contain an explanation of what it means to be civil in an online setting. Why do we need civility online? Why do you think the internet tends to foster incivility?

3. Your third paragraph should contain a discussion of what can be done to recover civility. How can we promote civility online? What are some ways in which we avoid heated discussions and debates?

4. Your fourth paragraph should apply what you have said about civility to a specific contentious issue in today’s culture (e.g. healthcare, gun control, capital punishment, abortion, war, economic policy). What does it mean to have a civil discussion about said issue? How can being civil advance our understanding of this issue?

5. Your final paragraph will summarize what you have said and make concluding remarks about civility going forward. What advice would you give to internet users about developing and maintaining a sense of civility in the way they approach online interactions?

Your completed assignment should be approximately 4 pages. Submit your paper, written in APA style, including a title page, reference page, and appropriate citations, to the dropbox for grading.