SSH 105 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Making Money, Blind Experiment, Ad Hominem

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Social Sciences and Humanities
• Course: SSH 105
• Professor: David Hunter

Document Summary

Whe(cid:374) (cid:272)o(cid:374)sideri(cid:374)g (cid:449)hether a(cid:374) argu(cid:373)e(cid:374)t"s pre(cid:373)ise is true, (cid:449)e (cid:374)eed to (cid:272)o(cid:374)sider (cid:449)hether its sour(cid:272)e is reliable. If it is not, then it would be unreasonable to accept the premise. Observation, measurement and testimony are among our most reliable sources of evidence. Testimony: evidence that consists of what other people tell us is testimonial evidence, testimonial evidence is only acceptable if: -it is on an appropriate topic. The witness is properly trained -the witness is properly informed -the witness is unbiased: sometimes, witnesses are motivated in different ways to lie about the facts. People can be moved by jealously, love, pride, humility, loyalty or revenge. Advertising: the risk of bias in advertising is inevitable since it is geared at trying to sell something. Surveys: evidence from a survey is acceptable if: -the questions are not ambiguous, biased, loaded, or otherwise bad those surveyed are properly trained and informed on the topic of the survey.