ABSTRACT
The following are arguments you might be asked to critique. FIRST, as a preparation for preparing a critique, develop a complete logical diagram of each one. SECOND, supply all missing premises or conclusions required to make each argument valid, placing these in parentheses. In carrying out these tasks practice charity: Give as sympathetic a reconstruction of these arguments as possible.
Sybil saw Kjell buy the .32 caliber pistol, so we know he owned one. Martha said that she had heard that Kjell was furious with the victim, so we know he had the motive. And because the crime lab has testified that there were powder traces on Kjell's face, we know that he had recently fired a gun. Besides, Thom says Kjell told him he had fired a gun that night. This evidence should convince you that Kjell murdered the victim.
Can't you see that we should build the new expressway? Traffic on existing roads is extremely heavy. First, right now we have to wait in bumper-to-bumper situations for hours on end in order to get to work. We suburbanites deserve easier access to our jobs. Furthermore, the new road will be wider, and thus safer, whereas the present road is very unsafe. And because the flow of traffic will be increased, there will be fewer gallons of gasoline burned waiting in traffic jams, and thus the users will save money and at the same time preserve natural resources.
Foreign language courses should be required of all students. English is only one of many languages, and college graduates should be able to converse with those who speak other languages. Moreover, important information is often written in languages other than English, and if you don't know those languages you are cut off from that information. Furthermore, businesses are increasingly becoming multinational in scope and if we want our graduates to be able to work for these businesses, they will have to know the languages used in other countries.
You should support the proposal that police officers who work between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. will get an extra 6.25% of their base pay. This will insure that our city receives more effective police protection because police officers will be able to receive the same kind of extra pay that other city employees do for night work. Currently, most night patrol officers have less experience than those working the day shift, because there is no inducement for officers with seniority to work night hours. This pay differential would provide that inducement, and assure that better prepared police are patrolling our streets at all hours.
Pari-mutuel betting should be legalized in this state. The tax revenues it will generate will help to fund better educational facilities. This is shown by what's happened in several other states that have legalized it. What is more, betting will give a lot of people a chance to improve their financial condition by winning large sums of money. It'll bring in 20% more revenue per year to the hotels and restaurants of the state, according to their estimates, and anyhow, betting on the ponies is not sinful. People already play bingo every Wednesday night at their local churches, so it can't be all that bad.
