Exam 4: Credibility

Assess the following as probably true,as probably false,as requiring further documentation before judgment,or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated.Consider both the nature of the claim and the source. University student to professor:"I'm sorry I missed the test on Thursday,Dr.Aarsack.My grandmother unexpectedly died,and I had to go home."

For the following issue,discuss which source you'd trust more,and give at least one reason why.You may want to add to or otherwise modify our list of sources.And do keep in mind that we are glad our livelihoods do not depend on a general consensus on our rankings. Issue:Do mountain bicycles cause ecological damage when ridden on hiking trails? a.an environmental scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health b.the chair of the Sierra Club task force for determining club policy on the wilderness use of mountain bicycles c.a spokesperson for a bicycle manufacturer d.a park ranger from a state park where mountain bicycles have been permitted on hiking trails e.a representative of the Washington Mountain Bike Riders' Association

Assess the following as probably true,as probably false,as requiring further documentation before judgment,or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated.Consider both the nature of the claim and the source. "Enough is enough! A national survey finds a majority of American adults do not support more restrictive or tougher anti-smoking measures." -The Tobacco Institute

For the following issue,discuss which source you'd trust more,and give at least one reason why.You may want to add to or otherwise modify our list of sources.And do keep in mind that we are glad our livelihoods do not depend on a general consensus on our rankings. Issue:Are schools of business turning out too many ill-prepared M.B.A.graduates? a.the dean of the school of business at the University of Chicago b.the president of the Hewlett-Packard Corporation c.an editorial in the Wall Street Journal d.a recent graduate with an M.B.A.

Assess the following as probably true,as probably false,as requiring further documentation before judgment,or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated.Consider both the nature of the claim and the source. "Every day 5,000 Americans try cocaine for the first time-a total of 22 million so far-according to estimates by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.About five million people are believed to be using the drug at least once a month,and they are administering it to themselves in increasingly destructive ways." -James Lieber,in the Atlantic

Whom would you trust as most reliable? Discuss the credibility and authority of each individual or group listed with regard to the following issue: It's quite important that you travel to another town about four hours away by car,but you are concerned about whether you should drive because of adverse weather conditions. a.the local television news b.the local newspaper c.a friend who has made the trip in all kinds of weather d.the state police telephone service e.the local police department

Exercise:Work with two other people on this.For each question below,you need to do an Internet search.The primary purpose of this exercise is for you to (1)lay out a convincing argument as to why the source or sources you used to answer the question is/are trustworthy.In other words,you need to present an argument as to why you trust and believe the source you found on the Internet in answering the question.Your argument should use as support the sorts of criteria that give a source credibility as discussed in Chapter 4.You'll also need to (2)answer the question and explain the answer.You'll turn in one set of answers and arguments for the group.(Suggested time to complete:A week or week and a half to formulate arguments and answers. ) Questions (your instructor may assign others): 1.What vegetable is toxic to dogs? Why,or why not? 2.Can you catch a cold by going outside with wet hair? Why,or why not? 3.Is it bad for your baby's health to dust a lot? Why,or why not? 4.Are children riding in SUVs safer than those riding in passenger cars? Why,or why not?

Based only on the information given in this biography,discuss the credibility and authority of the person described on each of the topics in the list that follows: Robert Kuttner is the economics correspondent of The New Republic,a columnist for Business Week and the Boston Globe,and a contributor to the Atlantic.After graduating from Oberlin College in 1965,he studied at the London School of Economics and took a master's degree in political science at the University of California,Berkeley.In addition to his writing,Kuttner served in Washington from 1975 to 1978 as the chief investigator for the Senate Banking Committee.In 1979 he was a fellow at Harvard's John F.Kennedy School of Government.He subsequently edited the journal Working Papers.Kuttner is the author of Revolt of the Haves (1980)and,most recently,The Economic Illusion (1984),which was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award. a.the effects of inflation on the stock market b.the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC),which insures deposits at banks and savings and loan institutions c.restaurants in London d.politics and upper-income groups in America e.poverty among Native Americans We would expect substantial expertise from Mr.Kuttner on topics (b)and (d)-the latter because of his 1980 book-and more than lay knowledge about (a).We'd sooner trust him than someone who hasn't lived there on (c),and we would expect no more expertise about (e)than we'd expect from other well-informed non-specialists.

You should assume that the claims made by others are false unless you have some specific reason to believe otherwise.

For the following issue,discuss which source you'd trust more,and give at least one reason why.You may want to add to or otherwise modify our list of sources.And do keep in mind that we are glad our livelihoods do not depend on a general consensus on our rankings. Issue:Were there unjustifiable cost overruns in the construction of ships made for the U.S.Navy by Lytton Industries? a.the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee b.the accounting director for Lytton c.the Navy Chief of Staff d.the OMB (Office of Management and Budget) e.an article in The Progressive (a left-of-center political journal)

Giving at least one reason for your choice,discuss whose opinion on the foreign policy of the current administration is more credible. a.a Ph.D.in political science whose specialty is U.S.foreign policy b.the chairman of the U.S.Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Assess the following as probably true,as probably false,as requiring further documentation before judgment,or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated.Consider both the nature of the claim and the source. "Do you feel insecure? Or are you confident about your position in life? According to Dr.Ian Cameron,how and where you stand in an elevator will reveal the answers to these questions." -Reported in the National Examiner.Dr.Cameron is described in the article as "a noted scientist and researcher."

Assess the following as probably true,as probably false,as requiring further documentation before judgment,or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated.Consider both the nature of the claim and the source. According to a Baron Gottfried von Swieten,King Frederick of Prussia claimed that he had once given a chromatic theme to Johann Sebastian Bach,who had immediately made of it a fugue in four parts,then in five parts,and finally in eight parts. -From H.T.David and A.Mendel,The Bach Reader,reported in Gödel,Escher,Bach,by Douglas R.Hofstadter Probably false.One needs to know something of music to realize how incredible this remark is.To improvise a six-part fugue is nearly beyond imagination (Hofstadter likens it to playing sixty games of chess simultaneously while blindfolded and winning them all).Even Bach,whose genius strains credibility on many counts,is unlikely to have been able to improvise an eight-part fugue.Presumably either King Frederick or the good Baron was doing some exaggerating.

Assess the following as probably true,as probably false,as requiring further documentation before judgment,or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated.Consider both the nature of the claim and the source. "In the near future look for floods in Britain which will culminate in the flooding of Parliament." -A prediction made by Maitreya Swami,"The World Teacher," in the News Release of the Tara Center,N.Hollywood,Calif.

Assess the following as probably true,as probably false,as requiring further documentation before judgment,or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated.Consider both the nature of the claim and the source. "Smoking more than triples the likelihood of premature facial wrinkling." -Dr.Donald Kadunce,lead author of a group of University of Utah scientists,reporting in Annals of Internal Medicine

Assess the following as probably true,as probably false,as requiring further documentation before judgment,or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated.Consider both the nature of the claim and the source. According to Funk & Wagnalls Hammond World Atlas,the three longest rivers in the world are the Nile,the Amazon,and the Yangtze.

Assess the following as probably true,as probably false,as requiring further documentation before judgment,or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated.Consider both the nature of the claim and the source. "The past year was a turbulent one.It was a year that began with record profits and sales.It was also a year in which we reported the first quarterly loss in Apple's history.We had to take swift action.We did.And it's working." -Apple Computer,Inc. ,1985 Annual Report

Assess the following as probably true,as probably false,as requiring further documentation before judgment,or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated.Consider both the nature of the claim and the source. "Apple's history is more like a soap opera than a corporate biography." -Macworld magazine,March 1997

Whom would you trust as most reliable? Discuss the credibility and authority of each individual or group listed with regard to the following issue: You've purchased a wood-burning stove.You are uncertain,however,what kind of wood to burn in it.You've heard that some produce more smoke,some are more likely to contribute to chimney fires,some burn hotter than others,and so forth. a.the dealer from whom you purchased the stove b.a friend of yours who has used a wood-burning stove for years c.another friend who sells firewood d.a U.S.Department of Agriculture publication,"Comparative Properties of Fuelwood" e.a professor of environmental horticulture at a state university

Assess the following as probably true,as probably false,as requiring further documentation before judgment,or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated.Consider both the nature of the claim and the source. "The West German Cabinet has conditionally agreed to let private companies enroll in the research [on the Strategic Defense Initiative]." -From an editorial in the Los Angeles Times