PHL 406 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Mens Rea, Actus Reus, Deontological Ethics
16 Mar 2017
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Inconsistency: one thing that we know for certain is that nothing is ever true or false. If there is something we know for certain, then there is at least one truth that we know, so it can"t be the case that nothing is true or false. Self-defeating claims: a statement that strictly speaking is not logically inconsistent, but is near enough in that it is obviously false when being asserted. Includes defending a conclusion by appealing to irrelevant reason. Inappropriate appeal to pity, popular option, tradition, authority. It is not unusual for us to ignore or downplay criticisms b/c we do not like them, even when those criticisms are justified. Limited sampling: the observations are relevant to the conclusion but more data is needed to support the conclusion. Appeal to ignorance: lack of evidence is not enough to prove guilt. Naturalistic fallacy: empirical facts by themselves are not sufficient to normative conclusions, even if they are relevant.
