History on Fallacies

I like to think that I am a logicial thinker. Being in a very technical major I have to use logical thinking a lot. It is important that I am able to identify flaws in logic which is why I find fallicies so interesting. This week's post looks at some history of fallacies.

"Argumentum ad Hominem is a fallacy."

A "fallacy" is a mistake, and a "logical" fallacy is a mistake in reasoning. It is a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning in argumentation. By accident or design, fallacies may exploit emotional triggers in the listener, or take advantage of social relationships between people. Fallacious arguments are often structured using rhetorical patterns that obscure the logical argument, making fallacies more difficult to diagnose. Also, the components of the fallacy may be spread out over separate arguments.

Aristotle was the first formal logician. He was known for codifying the rules of correct reasoning and cataloging types of incorrect reasoning, namely, fallacies. He was both the first to name types of logical error, and the first to group them into categories.

However, Aristotle's teacher, Plato, deserves credit for being the first philosopher to collect examples of bad reasoning. Plato is known to have conduct important preliminary field work before naming and cataloging.

Fallacious arguments are sometimes called "sophisms" and bad reasoning "sophistry". Aristotle refers to a few of these examples as instances of his named fallacies.

http://www.fallacyfiles.org/

By George Vauter

Communication Within a Team

I just got home from a paintball tournament, and found it to be a good example of the importance of communication within a team. Through the first half of the tournament, our team was doing very well. We were playing against teams that weren't really much of a challenge, so we could just rely on individual ability to win. The second half of the tournament however, we were transferred to another division with better players. After a few games in the new division, it became clear that our team was missing something important. We weren't communicating very well. As a result, our actions were not well coordinated, and we performed poorly. The other teams all had predetermined ways of telling the other teams position to each other. This gave them much better awareness of what was going on all over the field and allowed them to coordinate plays. In the end we placed 5th, but I believe we could have done much better if we had used better communication. Hopefully this lesson will help us to play more like a real team next time.

David Hoff

Why our Group Made Rules

When our teacher explained to us that we had to make rules to govern our group I, like many other people questioned why. Now that I am at home for fall break I have witnessed first hand how hard communicating can be without rules. I am making plans to hang out with several of my friends, and without rules like checking emails and responding in a timely manor it has become more difficult to make plans. This has shown me the importance of doing those things when working in a group. In a group, good, timely communication is important to getting the work done and on time.

By: Ben Schnepp

Momma Said...

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

Maybe Momma should have said "watch your temper Bobby!" In this clip from the Waterboy starring Adam Sandler we see how a difference of opinion can lead to a bad situation. The professor continues to tell Bobby that he and his momma are wrong which heats Bobby up to his boiling point. Unfortunately, Bobby works out his frustrations in a very poor manner.

Had Bobby or the Professor taken COM320 instead of the animal class with a great view they would have learned about managing their emotions. There are five steps outlined in our book to help everyone learn to control their emotions:
1. Be aware of your anger level
2. Breathe
3. Use self-talk
4. Monitor your nonverbal messages
5. Avoid personal attacks

Both parties are guilty of not following these rules. The Professor was really using personal attacks and Bobby was clearly not aware of his anger level. The rest of these steps in managing your emotions were also thrown out the window. Thankfully we are all in COM320 and hopefully no one will be tackling our teacher!

Christy Penner

3rd Posting - Conflict Resolution

Mediation Vs. Arbitration?

http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Jun/1/129206.html

I thought I would post about conflict resolution since that is our new topic in class. I have learned about conlfict resolution in another class I took and can remember taking about mediating a conflict versus being an arbitrator.

How are they the same?
Both mediation and arbitration use a third party to help solve a conflict. They are used to help facilitate the resolution process and avoid continuing conflict.

Whats the difference?
A mediator is a neutral third party that does not judge the situation or have a say in the outcome. The mediator is a facilitator, not a decision maker. They are simply there to help facilitate a discussion and eventual resolution of the dispute. Both parties in the conflict can speak freely to the mediator who will limit the issues and put them in perspective. A mediator can act as a way for people to get things off their chest and also benefit from hearing the other side of the arguement.

An arbitrator is more like a judge. They can make decisions about the arguments made by each party and decide who they feel is correct. Arbitration is more commonly used when the parties have no likelihood of being able to come to an agreement. If there is a need to come to a conclusion such as in a businees or legal scenario, an arbitrator is a good alternative to a judge. It often wise to have more than one arbitrator in a conflict.

- George Vauter

Just a thought...

Hopefully I won't step on any toes with this post, but I am going to point out a potential hazard I have noticed in our group. Groupthink is what I'm referring to. I have noticed in several of our meetings, that everybody seems to go along with the same ideas without much thought. It could be that we all just agree about a lot of things. More likely, I think, is the idea that people are just going with the idea they think the group likes because it is easier than challenging it. While this does wonders to speed up a meeting, it also causes us to miss opportunities to do something better. I think we should be giving our best effort in order to have a better outcome from our project, both for the Boys and Girls Club, and our grades. If we all, including myself, are willing to speak up when we think there is a better option, the potential improvements that can result outweigh a few extra minutes of discussion.

-David Hoff

Progress in our Project

The project is looking great. As of right now, we have permission from the Boys and Girls Club to have a field day, just needing to decide on an exact day. We have received our grant aid to pay for the project. Since the Boys and Girls Club have already had a field day, they will be able to help us with advice on what works and does not work. The Starting 5 is in a very good position and now we just need to finalize our plans and implement them on our field day.

-By Ben Schnepp