2.1 The Truth Condition

1. A premise can be plausible to a given audience and still be false.

True

False

True. Plausibility is independent of the actual truth or falsity of a claim. The case of medieval belief in a motionless earth is a good example.

Explanation

True. Plausibility is independent of the actual truth or falsity of a claim. The case of medieval belief in a motionless earth is a good example.

2. "The earth is motionless at the center of the universe." This statement would be plausible to a Medieval audience but is not plausible to a modern audience.

True

False

True. I'm assuming that "modern audience" means an audience informed by the consensus of mainstream scientific opinion. You can find people today who still think the earth is motionless at the center of the universe, but these don't qualify as a "modern audience" in this sense.

Explanation

True. I'm assuming that "modern audience" means an audience informed by the consensus of mainstream scientific opinion. You can find people today who still think the earth is motionless at the center of the universe, but these don't qualify as a "modern audience" in this sense.

3. The persuasive power of an argument is a function of the subjective plausibility of its premises for a given audience, not a function of the actual truth of the premises.

True

False

The explanation for the given correct answer is that the persuasive power of an argument is determined by how believable or plausible its premises are to a specific audience, rather than whether the premises are actually true. In other words, an argument can be persuasive even if its premises are not objectively true, as long as they are perceived as plausible by the audience being targeted. This highlights the importance of understanding and appealing to the beliefs and values of the intended audience when trying to make a persuasive argument.

Explanation

The explanation for the given correct answer is that the persuasive power of an argument is determined by how believable or plausible its premises are to a specific audience, rather than whether the premises are actually true. In other words, an argument can be persuasive even if its premises are not objectively true, as long as they are perceived as plausible by the audience being targeted. This highlights the importance of understanding and appealing to the beliefs and values of the intended audience when trying to make a persuasive argument.

4. If an argument has false premises, the argument is necessarily a bad one, regardless of the subjective plausibility of the premises for a given audience.

True

False

False. The premises may be false, but an audience may still have good reason to believe them, given the evidence available. And if so, then they may function as premises of a good argument, in the sense that the premises give the audience good reasons to accept the conclusion.

Explanation

False. The premises may be false, but an audience may still have good reason to believe them, given the evidence available. And if so, then they may function as premises of a good argument, in the sense that the premises give the audience good reasons to accept the conclusion.

5. "Cell phone usage is a leading cause of brain cancer". Can this statement can be (objectively) true for some audiences but (objectively) false for others?

Yes

No

No. Plausibility may vary from audience to audience, but the actual truth or falsity of a claim like this one does not. Whether cell phone usage is a leading cause of brain cancer is true or false independent of what anyone happens to believe about it. If it's true, it's true for everyone, and if it's false, it's false for everyone.

Explanation

No. Plausibility may vary from audience to audience, but the actual truth or falsity of a claim like this one does not. Whether cell phone usage is a leading cause of brain cancer is true or false independent of what anyone happens to believe about it. If it's true, it's true for everyone, and if it's false, it's false for everyone.