Entry 4 - Lê Thái Hành

I: Item1

A person answered an interview about banning car idea:

“Tôi cho là rất bình thường, có khác gì cắt giảm điện 1 khu phố: Hôm nay cắt bên số chẵn, mai cắt bên số lẻ. Ai cũng thấy hợp lý và phải chấp nhận.Với biển số xe càng phải thế: thành phố chắc chắn giảm được 50% số xe vào nội thành. Cứ đợi đồng thuận thì chẳng làm được gì, cũng như việc đội mũ bảo hiểm ngày nào.”

Source:  http://dantri.com.vn/c728/s728-473324/nguoi-dan-van-phan-ung-voi-y-tuong-chan-le.htm

Premise 1: thực hiện thành công việc cắt giảm điện giảm điện 1 khu phố: Hôm nay cắt bên số chẵn, mai cắt bên số lẻ

Premise 2: thực hiện thành công việc bắt buộc đội mũ bảo hiểm

Conclusion : việc thực hiện biển số xe chẵn lẻ sẽ thành công và thành phố chắc chắn giảm được 50% số xe vào nội thành.

Type of Fallacy:  Fallacy of relevance – Weak analogy

Although two premises are true, the conclusion is false because cutting power, wearing helmet and banning car are three different things. Therefore, the successful implementation of the two things doesn’t mean that the other will be successful too.

II: Item 2

Video – The Power of Words

Link 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzgzim5m7oU

Link 2: http://www.mediafire.com/?f2xd691p23ou52m

     Description: A blind old man sitting on the street begs for a living. People passing him in the street do not seem to care about him, and a few of them give him some pennies. Accidentally, a woman walking through changes the sentence “I’M BLIND – PLEASE HELP” into the sentence “IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY AND I CAN’T SEE IT”. Then, he receives lots of help from people.

     Analysis:

1.      Powerful words create an impression in minds or a dominant image.

2.      An impression in minds or a dominant image changes thinking and results.

3.      A change of words turns ordinary words into powerful ones.

4.      Changing words changes the world.

o       This is deductively valid

III: Item 3

“… Every summer the topic comes up about the relationship between crime and temperature.  A lot of research points to a positive correlation between crime rates and the temperature.  The relationship is simple: crime rates increase in the summer.  No one can explain exactly why this is but it’s been observed as far back as the 1800s.  A conclusion can be drawn with a little common sense though.  When it’s cold or rainy outside you’re probably like me and more interested in watching a Harry Potter marathon or reading a good book instead of going shopping, hanging out with friends, or even going for a run.  The weather dictates how active we are.  In the summers we’re more active for a number of reasons, most of them revolve around more pleasant weather…”

Source: http://weakonomics.com/2009/07/30/why-crime-is-higher-when-its-hot-why-economics-fails-us/

     Analysis:

1.      The weather dictates how active people are.

2.      People committing crime are more active in the summer.

3.      It’s hot in the summer

4.      Crime rates increase in the summer.

5.      Heat causes crime.

o       This is deductively invalid argument.

o       Fallacies: logical fallacies: chicken and egg (correlation implies causation). Just because two things happen at the same time or in the same place, doesn't mean there's any kind of cause and effect going on. It may just be coincidence.