logical fallacy

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19726492.800-editorial-sad-truth-about-animal-experiments.html
EVERY year, in labs around the world, millions of animals are killed in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. Indeed medical science relies on the assumption that the death of animals is a sad but necessary part of progress.
Usually, the task of administering the coup de grace falls to the same technicians who have spent months or years looking after the animals. It now appears that these people are deeply upset by this part of their job (see "Grief and stress among those who care for lab animals"). That is hardly surprising: how would you feel if someone asked you to kill an animal you had been looking after? Yet so sensitive has the issue of animal experiments become that this problem has been ignored.
Cynics might argue that those who feel bad should simply get another job. Antivivisectionists might say the new finding shows that animal research hurts people as well as animals. But both miss the point. Animal technicians grieve because they care about the animals they look after, even while they recognise that the experiments they are used for are legitimate. It is time for universities and other employers to offer emotional support and public recognition to these technicians. Perhaps it is also time for scientists to include them more within research teams, and thank them in published papers for the indispensable role they play.

Dear Author,
Your article “Sad Truth About Animal Experiments” definitely had an emotional appeal that hit me hard and made me quite sad. The pathos used is obviously emotional due to the fact that the first sentence talks about millions of animals being killed just for scientific purposes. I think you did a very nice job using the pathos. This pathos has a very effective appeal, however later in the article you used a couple logical fallacies. One fallacy is seen in the statement that “these people are deeply upset by this part of their job” and the other fallacy is in the sentence “animal technicians grieve because they care about the animals they look after, even while they recognize that the experiments they are used for are legitimate”. These fallacies you used were “false cause fallacies”, because you falsely assume that the technicians grieve and you falsely assume “these people” are upset. You could correct this fallacy by stating that you assume they feel guilty and that they should feel guilty. But just because of the pathos used, doesn’t mean that the technicians do feel guilty. Some people are heartless and really would not feel guilty if they killed an animal for a scientific purpose, therefore you cannot assume that these people and technicians do. You also could correct this fallacy if you got an actual quote by a technician that was upset and grieving the fact that he or she killed the animals in the scientific research. Since you do not provide a quote or evidence, the editorial has a few logical fallacies that could easily be fixed. I think if you corrected these and continue using the pathos and could even add some ethos that this article would be very effective and get the point across perfectly.

Fight Club

Fight Club thematically explores violence often perceived as senseless. Evaluate whether it is really senseless.


Do I think violence is senseless? Absolutely not. Yes sometimes it can be foolish and pointless but other times I really do believe violence is the answer. From personal experience, I do know that sometimes talking things out doesn’t help the situation or work at all. I’m not saying that if I try talking to someone and they won’t listen to me that I’d smack their brains out. But, sometimes a little hit here or there can relay the message that I’m trying to get out when nothing else works. By all means I’m certainly not saying I like to get into fights or would suggest someone else get into fights. But I do believe being physical in certain circumstances can help. Also, from what I remember in the movie, the men fight to release stress and just get things out, not just to beat the crap out of each other because they hate each other. I’m a fan of this type of stress relievers. Sometimes I get so stressed out and frustrated I just need to hit a punching bag or whatever is near. In the case of fighting, the men in Fight Club aren’t fighting to beat each other up because of tension, they fight to feel bette. I do believe in the right situation that violence is necessary. Not only is it necessary in the way to release stress but also for self defense. If someone is trying to mug me or fight me, I would most definitely be violent back. If a person is getting mugged and doesn’t use violence back, that person is doomed. Saying violence is senseless is, in my opinion, wrong. Yes sometimes if not used in the right situation yes it can be considered, but definitely at times violence is the best way to handle situations.

Aubade

When first reading the poem I thought it was about death. The first line “The sure extinction that we travel to”, I thought that by extinction the author meant death. Back in high school my English teacher would give us a poem and we would have to translate it line by line. To understand this poem I attempted that strategy:

The sure extinction that we travel to
The definite death that we come across
And shall be lost in always. Not to be here,
And forever be gone. Not here anymore
Not to be anywhere,
Not anywhere
And soon; nothing more terrible, nothing more true. Soon enough, it is terrible but very true
This is a special way of being afraid
It is okay to be afraid
No trick dispels. Religion used to try,
There’s no way to overcome it, religions have tried
That vast, moth-eaten musical brocade
Rotten and eaten by moths
Created to pretend we never die,
It was created to act like people never die
And specious stuff that says No rational being
There’s no rational reasoning behind it
Can fear a thing it will not feel, not seeing
There’s no reason to be afraid, you can’t see death or feel it
That this is what we fear - no sight, no sound,
That is why we’re afraid, you can’t see or hear death
No touch or taste or smell, nothing to think with,
You can’t touch death or taste it, you can’t smell it, you can’t think
Nothing to love or link with,
No one to love or connect with
The anasthetic from which none come round.
Nothing appealing will come around

(The blue is my translation)

For many reasons death was the only thing I could think about while reading the poem. Then I decided to research that poem a bit. I found that an Aubade was a “poem or song about lovers separating at dawn” (Wikipedia.com). This makes sense now. The author of the poem is talking about being separated from his significant other and therefore the author is depressed and wants to die. The line “nothing to love or link with” means that the author has no one to connect to and no one to love, therefore the author is depressed. I believe the author is writing this towards everyone who has ever lost a love one and feels the pain the author is now experiencing.

"Ducks Fly Together"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyVF1glhAfk


In all honesty I think listening to people preach and talk and give speeches is pretty boring… In most movies and political speeches I hear, I actually tune out. One of the few examples of a speech that actually caught my attention was the “Ducks Fly Together” speech in the ever so popular movie, D2: The Mighty Ducks. The speech in the locker room given by coach Bombay is one of the few movie speeches that I can actually relate to. I’m a big believer in sticking together when life gets hard, and not letting someone else control my actions. Being able to stand up and be the bigger person is something important to me and should be to most people. My favorite part of the speech:

“-And we’re going to stick together, you know why?
-Because we are the ducks… and Ducks fly together
-That's right Jan.
- And just when you think they're about to break apart- - Ducks fly together!
- And when the wind blows hard and the sky is black- - Ducks fly together!”

This is my favorite part because I really enjoy the saying “Ducks Fly Together”, I think it’s really special to be able to be a part of something like in this case, a duck, and to be able to stick together because of the bond and pact that they have.
Most people probably would not consider this a very effective and inspirational speech, I disagree. Maybe because of my age, maybe because of my short attention span… but it really did inspire me. The language used relates to the viewers (mostly children/teenagers). It has a bit of comedy used which maybe isn’t exactly “powerful and inspirational” but as far as speeches go, the comedy used helped me actually stay focused.
To help understand the speech…
Act: Coach Bombay is giving a speech
Agency: By giving a speech
Scene: In a locker room after half time of a hockey game, after which the “Ducks” started playing “dirty” and not acting like a team
Purpose: Bombay is giving the speech because the “Ducks” need to start sticking together, not lose hope, and stay strong even if the situation is hard
Agent: Coach Bombay

Blog #1

My two brothers are the most influential people in my life. They are both older than me, ages 24 and 21, and are my best friends. They look after me and are always there when I need someone. It is important to me that I’m close with my brothers because I really enjoy having them to lean on and knowing they will always be there for me. We all three came to WSU and thankfully one of them is still here to help me through my first year of college. One of my brothers is actually dating my best friend which is a bit awkward but I love it none the less. It makes us even closer and force us to hang out. My brothers influence my life a lot. I always trust their opinions and listen to what they have to say. I always ask for their advice and know they have my best interest at heart. Having not one, but two older brothers to look out for me is the most amazing part of my life. The picture I posted on the left is of me and my brothers from prom. My brother went with my best friend so we were in the same group which turned out to be a lot of fun. When we were all younger we didn’t get along as well, but growing up and going to college we all matured a bit and now are all extremely close.