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224.
Evaluate the following claim, paying particular attention to problems of clarity. Note that
claims may also present problems of knowability, though we don’t address knowability per
se in this chapter.
Most voters in the 2008 presidential election believe that the Republican candidate better
represents traditional values than does the Democratic candidate.
It would be hard to know whether this was true even if we could identify just what
"traditional values" meant. There may be something to this claim, but it would take
someone more willing to go out on a limb than we to say exactly what it is.
225.
Evaluate the following claim, paying particular attention to problems of clarity. Note that
claims may also present problems of knowability, though we don’t address knowability per
se in this chapter.
All of the last three years have been extremely dry.
"Extremely dry" is pretty vague, but it isn’t that bad; this could still be a useful claim.
226.
Evaluate the following claim, paying particular attention to problems of clarity. Note that
claims may also present problems of knowability, though we don’t address knowability per
se in this chapter.
Obscene movies available at movie rental outlets are harmful to children who watch them.
Defining "obscene" is notoriously difficult, but there surely are items most people would
agree fit the term. What counts as harmful to children may be just as difficult to
determine. This is a pretty vague claim.
227.
Evaluate the following claim, paying particular attention to problems of clarity. Note that
claims may also present problems of knowability, though we don’t address knowability per
se in this chapter.
Nobody under seventeen is permitted unless accompanied by an adult.
This is clear enough, provided we know who counts as an adult.
228.
Evaluate the following claim, paying particular attention to problems of clarity. Note that
claims may also present problems of knowability, though we don’t address knowability per
se in this chapter.
Most of the science books in the high school library were published before 1960.
What’s a science book? This probably isn’t as important as whatever inference is likely to
be drawn from it. We presume that this means an awful lot of the library’s science books
are seriously out-of-date.
229.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
Marriage is paying an endless visit in your worst clothes.—J. B. Priestly
A persuasive definition; to denigrate marriage good humouredly.
230.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
A precising definition is used to reduce vagueness.
231.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
Energy-efficient house: a house that, at a minimum, has no teenagers.
To amuse.
232.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
When we use the word "argument" in this class, we’ll mean a set of claims, one of which is
supported by the others.
To make precise; to reduce vagueness and ambiguity.
233.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
A barrister is a lawyer in Britain who actually argues the case in court.
To define an unfamiliar word.
234.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
"‘Best-seller’ just means ‘not written for anyone with an I.Q. of over a hundred and
one.’"—George L. Farris, author of several non-best-sellers
Persuasive definition; sour grapes in abundance.
235.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
The "HO" in "HO gauge" stands for "half-O," which refers to an older scale for model
trains. HO gauge is one-half the scale of O-gauge, or one-sixty-fourth of full size.
To define an unfamiliar phrase.
236.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
No, as far as the bus company is concerned, you count as a senior citizen only after you’ve
reached sixty-five. You won’t be able to get the discount fare for three more years.
Precising definition.
237.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
Plugs come in many shapes and sizes, but the one-quarter-inch size is usually called a
phone plug.
To define an unfamiliar phrase ("phone plug").
238.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
"Tombstone: an ugly reminder of one who has been forgotten."—H. L. Mencken
An analytical definition with a darkly humorous purpose, to underscore how short-lived will
be others’ memories of us after our demise.
239.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
Beard: a bettor who places bets for a friend with a bookie who has cut off the friend for
not paying, for snitching to the police, or for having won too much.—The Los Angeles
Police Department
To explain a word that may be unfamiliar to the listener.
240.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
"Conservatism is realism about mankind’s limitations."—George Will
A persuasive definition favorable to conservatism.
241.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
"Marriage is not only a divine institution, but is the only one instituted in the Garden of
Eden which has come down with its continuous line of blessings to the present time."
—Sylvanus Stall,
What Every Young Man Should Know
(1904)
To produce an attitude about marriage.
242.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
"Now if we set about to find out what... [a] statement means and to determine whether to
accept or reject it, we would be engaged in thinking which, for lack of a better term, we
shall call critical thinking."—B. Othanel Smith
To reduce vagueness.
243.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
"The cliché is prefabricated language; it is packaged and ready for immediate delivery."—
William F. Irmscher and Harryette Stover,
The Holt Guide to English
Persuasive definition of a negative sort; of course a cliché is by definition trite and
hackneyed.
244.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
"In the category of
economically privileged
, we shall include families with total annual
incomes of $75,000 or more."—Sarah Hartford and Samuel Cohen,
Trends in College
Admissions
Precising (stipulative) definition.
245.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
"All the perceptions of the human mind resolve themselves into two distinct kinds, which I
shall call Impressions and Ideas."—David Hume,
Treatise on Human Nature
To introduce two words.
246.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
"Subduction zone: In interpretations of plate tectonic theory, a belt along the under-margin
of a continental plate, where the colliding oceanic plate descends toward or into the
mantle."—Robert M. Norris and Robert W. Webb,
Geology of California
To explain a new word.
247.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
"When we talk about formatting we are referring to the ways in which Multiplan [a
spreadsheet program] allows us to specify the appearance of our information on the
screen and on the printer."—Erwin Schneider,
Multiplan User’s Guide
To introduce a new use for a word.
248.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
"In this book we use the word
universe
to denote a ‘model of the Universe’ and avoid
making pretentious claims to a true knowledge of the Universe."—Edward R. Harrison,
Cosmology
This definition seems to be some sort of vague statement of humility; the author is
cautioning his reader not to expect the ultimate truth.
249.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
"... what we call temperature is nothing else but a measurement of the degree of
molecular agitation [in a substance]."—George Gamow,
One, Two, Three... Infinity
This analytic definition is a precising one. Pushing on this one hard enough can prompt
some interesting discussions.
250.
Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or
explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish
some other purpose.
"Rock journalism is people who can’t write interviewing people who can’t talk for people
who can’t read."—Frank Zappa
A denigrating persuasive definition.
251.
For the term, "attorney," invent a persuasive definition (either positive or negative).
Remember, persuasive definitions can be analytical definitions, definitions by example, or
definitions by synonym.
Answers will vary
252.
For the term, "psychiatrist," invent a persuasive definition (either positive or negative).
Remember, persuasive definitions can be analytical definitions, definitions by example, or
definitions by synonym.
Answers will vary
3-94
253.
For the term, "hippie," invent a persuasive definition (either positive or negative).
Remember, persuasive definitions can be analytical definitions, definitions by example, or
definitions by synonym.
Answers will vary
254.
For the term, "Republican," invent a persuasive definition (either positive or negative).
Remember, persuasive definitions can be analytical definitions, definitions by example, or
definitions by synonym.
Answers will vary
255.
For the term, "poet," invent a persuasive definition (either positive or negative).
Remember, persuasive definitions can be analytical definitions, definitions by example, or
definitions by synonym.
Answers will vary
256.
For the term, "banker," invent a persuasive definition (either positive or negative).
Remember, persuasive definitions can be analytical definitions, definitions by example, or
definitions by synonym.
Answers will vary
3-95
257.
For the term, "education," invent a persuasive definition (either positive or negative).
Remember, persuasive definitions can be analytical definitions, definitions by example, or
definitions by synonym.
Answers will vary
258.
For the term, "Marxism," invent a persuasive definition (either positive or negative).
Remember, persuasive definitions can be analytical definitions, definitions by example, or
definitions by synonym.
Answers will vary
259.
For the term, "ballet," invent a persuasive definition (either positive or negative).
Remember, persuasive definitions can be analytical definitions, definitions by example, or
definitions by synonym.
Answers will vary
260.
For the term, "weight lifting," invent a persuasive definition (either positive or negative).
Remember, persuasive definitions can be analytical definitions, definitions by example, or
definitions by synonym.
Answers will vary
261.
Invent three examples of semantically ambiguous claims.
Answers will vary
262.
Invent three examples of syntactically ambiguous claims.
Answers will vary
263.
Invent three examples of claims containing grouping ambiguities.
Answers will vary
264.
Make up a claim and a couple of contexts for it so that the claim is too vague in one
context but sufficiently precise in the other.
Answers will vary
3-97
265.
Exercise: Are you familiar with the word, "meretricious?" Provide a definition. If the term is
unfamiliar, make a guess about its meaning based on its appearance or sound, and create
your own definition. Then look the word up, and find out how close you got. (We provide a
thumbnail meaning as answer.)
Gaudy; harlot-like.
266.
Exercise: Are you familiar with the word, "parvenu?" Provide a definition. If the term is
unfamiliar, make a guess about its meaning based on its appearance or sound, and create
your own definition. Then look the word up, and find out how close you got. (We provide a
thumbnail meaning as answer.)
Upstart.
267.
Exercise: Are you familiar with the word, "pursy?" Provide a definition. If the term is
unfamiliar, make a guess about its meaning based on its appearance or sound, and create
your own definition. Then look the word up, and find out how close you got. (We provide a
thumbnail meaning as answer.)
Short-winded because of corpulence.
3-98
268.
Exercise: Are you familiar with the word, "besotted?" Provide a definition. If the term is
unfamiliar, make a guess about its meaning based on its appearance or sound, and create
your own definition. Then look the word up, and find out how close you got. (We provide a
thumbnail meaning as answer.)
Stupefied, muddled, as from drunkenness or infatuation.
269.
Exercise: Are you familiar with the word, "trenchant?" Provide a definition. If the term is
unfamiliar, make a guess about its meaning based on its appearance or sound, and create
your own definition. Then look the word up, and find out how close you got. (We provide a
thumbnail meaning as answer.)
Incisive, penetrating.
270.
Exercise: Are you familiar with the word, "mettle?" Provide a definition. If the term is
unfamiliar, make a guess about its meaning based on its appearance or sound, and create
your own definition. Then look the word up, and find out how close you got. (We provide a
thumbnail meaning as answer.)
Courage.
3-99
271.
Exercise: Are you familiar with the word, "noisome?" Provide a definition. If the term is
unfamiliar, make a guess about its meaning based on its appearance or sound, and create
your own definition. Then look the word up, and find out how close you got. (We provide a
thumbnail meaning as answer.)
Foul-smelling.
272.
Exercise: Are you familiar with the word, "ursine?" Provide a definition. If the term is
unfamiliar, make a guess about its meaning based on its appearance or sound, and create
your own definition. Then look the word up, and find out how close you got. (We provide a
thumbnail meaning as answer.)
Bearlike.
273.
Exercise: Are you familiar with the word, "pervicacious?" Provide a definition. If the term is
unfamiliar, make a guess about its meaning based on its appearance or sound, and create
your own definition. Then look the word up, and find out how close you got. (We provide a
thumbnail meaning as answer.)
Extremely obstinate.
3-100
274.
Exercise: Are you familiar with the word, "adjuration?" Provide a definition. If the term is
unfamiliar, make a guess about its meaning based on its appearance or sound, and create
your own definition. Then look the word up, and find out how close you got. (We provide a
thumbnail meaning as answer.)
An earnest appeal or a solemn oath.
275.
Exercise: Read a commentary or editorial in a newspaper; and identify and list as many
emotively charged words and phrases as you can. Then come up with neutral equivalents
for the words on your list.
Answers will vary
276.
Exercise: Find an example of an ambiguous claim in a paper you have written for another
class.
Answers will vary
277.
Exercise: Find an example of an ambiguous claim in a newspaper or magazine. (Hint:
Headlines are sometimes great sources of such claims. Groups of them also float around
on the Internet.)
Answers will vary
