Transcript Do now! - MrSimonPorter

Do now!
Can you read through
the paper on
propositions that Simon
gave you last lesson?
Proposition……..any statement that can
be asserted or denied (i.e. said to be true
or false)
Examples of propositions
Snow is white
Examples of propositions
Mr McGhan looks cool in goggles
Examples of propositions
Pigs have wings
Examples of propositions
Norwegian men are very sensitive and
understanding
Examples of propositions
School sucks
4 kinds of propositions
1. Analytic propositions
Propositions that can be shown to be true
just by analyzing (thinking about) them.
1. Analytic propositions - 2 types
Definitional truths;
All bachelors
are unmarried men
1. Analytic propositions – 2 types
Truths of reason; If Eirik is taller than
Meaghan, and Magnus is taller than Eirik,
Magnus must be taller than Meaghan
2. Empirical Propositions
Their truth can be determined by appeal to
evidence based on perception
2. Empirical Propositions
Pandas eat bamboo
2. Empirical Propositions
Smoking can damage your health
2. Empirical Propositions
Hitler was a woman
3. Value judgments
A statement that contains a value word such
as “good”, “bad”, “right”, “wrong”,
“beautiful”, “ugly”……..
3. Value judgments
Harder to establish the truth as two people
may have different values
3. Value judgments
Kirsten Dunst
is beautiful
3. Value judgments
Simon is the World’s best TOK teacher
3. Value judgments
Rap isn’t good music
4. Metaphysical propositions
Neither analytic, empirical nor value
judgment. This leaves statements about the
nature of ultimate reality
4. Metaphysical propositions
God exists
4. Metaphysical propositions
Free will is an illusion
4. Metaphysical propositions
The past does not exist
Importance of knowing which
type of proposition
Because all 4 types can be justified in
different ways, it is important to know
which type of proposition we are dealing
with when looking at a knowledge claim
State whether the following
propositions are analytic,
empirical, value judgment or
metaphysical
God is the creator of all things
Mozart was a great composer
Bananas are yellow
Smith is a courageous man
Napoleon was defeated at
Waterloo in 1815
YouTube - Duel and
duelality part2
You ought to eat more cabbage
Every event has a cause
A straight line is the shortest
distance between two points
John said that a cube has eight
edges
All mass murders are insane
It’s not that simple!
In “real life” there are grey areas and
complications
Factual/verbal disputes
Analytical/empirical
propositions
What looks like a
factual dispute can
sometimes become a
verbal dispute about the
meaning of words
John is bald
Abortion is murder
Nelson Mandela is a terrorist
Nominal Fallacy
Assuming we have explained something
just because we have named it
Nominal Fallacy
“Why is iron attracted to a magnet?”
“Because iron is magnetic”
Nominal Fallacy
“Why are there many
tribal wars in Papua
New Guinea?”
“The people there are
very aggressive”
Nominal Fallacy
“Why is lead heavy”
“Because it is very dense”
Nominal fallacy
Try to spot the nominal fallacies in the
following;
Nominal Fallacy?
“What caused the baby’s death”
“Sudden Infant Death Syndrome”
Nominal Fallacy?
“Why did the water pipes burst?”
“Because the temperature fell below
zero(freezing), and when water freezes it
expands”
Nominal Fallacy?
“What caused the
earthquake”
“A sudden movement of
rocks beneath the earth’s
surface”
Nominal Fallacy?
“What caused the earthquake?”
“It was an act of God”
Nominal Fallacy?
“Why does sugar dissolve in water?”
“Because it is soluble”
Nominal Fallacy?
“Why did the apple fall to the ground?”
“Because of gravity”
Nominal Fallacy?
“Why did the apple fall to the ground?”
“Because of gravity”
Nominal Fallacy?
“Why did Peter Sutcliffe murder 13 people”
“Because he is insane”
Nominal Fallacy?
“Why did the stock
market fall yesterday?”
“Because of a technical
adjustment and profittaking by investors”
Nominal Fallacy?
“Why did he win the lottery?”
“Because he is a lucky person”