PHI 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Syntactic Ambiguity, Critical Thinking
23 May 2018
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Chapter 3
Clarity of language is extremely important to the ability to think critically !
Clarity of language can often be lost as a result of multiple causes, including, importantly,
vagueness, and generality !
Vagueness is a matter of a degree; what matters is not being too vague for the purpose at
hand !
A statement is ambiguous when it is subject to more than one interpretation and it isnāt clear
which interpretation is the correct one !
Some main types of ambiguity are semantic ambiguity, syntactic ambiguity, grouping
ambiguity, and ambiguous pronouns reference !
A claim is overly general when it lacks suļ¬cient detail to restrict its application to the
immediate subject !
To reduce vagueness or eliminate ambiguity, or when new or unfamiliar words are brought into
play, or familiar words are used in an unusual way, deļ¬nitions are our best tool !
The most common types of deļ¬nitions are deļ¬nitions by synonym, deļ¬nition by example, and
analytical deļ¬nitions !
Some deļ¬nitions are used not to clarify meaning but to express or inļ¬uence attitude. This is
known as the rhetorical use of deļ¬nition!
The rhetorical use of deļ¬nitions accomplishes its ends by means of the rhetorical force
(emotive meaning) of terms !
Critical thinking done on paper is known as an argumentative essay, a step of writing worth
mastering, perhaps by following our suggestions !
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Clarity of language is extremely important to the ability to think critically. Clarity of language can often be lost as a result of multiple causes, including, importantly, vagueness, and generality. Vagueness is a matter of a degree; what matters is not being too vague for the purpose at hand. A statement is ambiguous when it is subject to more than one interpretation and it isn"t clear which interpretation is the correct one. Some main types of ambiguity are semantic ambiguity, syntactic ambiguity, grouping ambiguity, and ambiguous pronouns reference. A claim is overly general when it lacks su cient detail to restrict its application to the immediate subject. To reduce vagueness or eliminate ambiguity, or when new or unfamiliar words are brought into play, or familiar words are used in an unusual way, de nitions are our best tool. The most common types of de nitions are de nitions by synonym, de nition by example, and analytical de nitions.
