Chapter 6

One of the important concepts in chapter 6 was "Considering the Alternatives." This section discussed compound claims. A compound claim is a claim that is composed of other claims, but it has to be viewed as just one claim. An example of a compound claim would be, "I'll go to the game or I'll stay home and watch it on t.v." Another concept discussed was "alternatives." Alternatives are the claims that are the parts of an "or" claim. A contradictory of a claim is a claim that has the opposite truth value in all possible circumstances. An example of a contradictory of a claim is: Claim: "John is talking" Contradictory: "John is not talking." There is also a contradiction of an "or" claim. This means that: A or B has contradictory not A and not B. A contradictory of an and claim is: A and B has contradictory not A or not B. False dilemma's were also discussed in this chapter. A false dilemma is a bad use of excluding possibilities where the "or" claim is false or implausible.