Exam 4: Credibility

Can you get a manzanita tree to grow in Pennsylvania? Giving at least one reason for your choice,discuss whose opinion is the more credible. a.a Pennsylvania (where manzanita doesn't grow naturally)nursery worker b.a California (where manzanita does grow naturally)nursery worker

You are rationally justified in accepting the view of the majority of experts in a given subject even if this view turns out later to have been incorrect.

Whom would you trust as most reliable? Discuss the credibility and authority of each individual or group listed with regard to the following issue: Even though your wisdom teeth are not bothering you,your dentist tells you they should be extracted because they may give you trouble later.Should you have them pulled or wait until they cause problems? a.your dentist b.your physician c.a friend who is studying to become an orthodontist d.your sister,who is a dental hygienist e.your brother,who is six years older than you,who still has his wisdom teeth and has had no problems with them

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. "Mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade's two little girls always tried to keep her from singing in church because,they said,every time she did,everyone would turn around and stare at her." -Joseph McLellan,in the Washington Post

Keeping in mind the sources cited,discuss the credibility of the claim(s)made in the following passage: "The UFOnauts are usually clothed in shiny,tight fitting,one piece suits,and in most reports seem able to breathe our air without difficulty.Telepathy seems involved in most contacts....If you are tired of the same old pseudoexplanations,official debunkings,and lame duck logic from quacks suffering megalomania,then you are invited to join the concerted efforts of the UFO Contact Center...." -From a pamphlet,undated,issued in the 1980s by Aileen E.Edwards,director of UFO Contact Center International in Seattle,Washington The "center" is a clearinghouse for those who have had contact with extraterrestrials to share their fears and insights without condemnation.Edwards herself has had such an experience,says the pamphlet,and now is reaching out to help people with similar stories.The language has a typical "us vs.them" flavor,with those who would offer a more coherent explanation labeled as "quacks";the assumption is that those who have certain experiences are best able to determine "what really happened." We admit to being quacks: We think Ms.Edwards may be a bit delusional.

Whom would you trust as most reliable? Discuss the credibility and authority of each individual or group listed with regard to the following issue: Spring has come,and it's about time to plant some tomatoes.Or is there still a danger of frost? a.the owner of your local nursery b.Aunt Maude,whose garden has kept her friends and family in tomatoes for years c.a friend who grows tomatoes commercially d.a friend who gives the weather report on Channel 8 News each evening e."Outdoor Planting Table" in The Old Farmer's Almanac

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:How do the economic policies of the Venezuelan government affect the standard of living of most Venezuelans? a.the editor of a daily newspaper in a small town b.a friend who just returned from a trip to Venezuela "to see what was going on" c.a professor of Latin American studies at Ohio State University d.a Republican state senator in Arizona e.a politically radical councilwoman for a middle-sized New York city

Is the pitcher tiring? Giving at least one reason for your choice,discuss whose opinion is the more credible. a.a minor league pitching coach b.Reggie Jackson

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. "Of all species,only pigs and humans like liquor." -Charles Halsted,Professor of Internal Medicine,University of California,Davis

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:Whether Viking explorers actually landed in the New World before Columbus. a.a historian b.the publisher of a Norwegian-language newspaper in Willmar,Minnesota c.a Norwegian archeologist d.an Italian archeologist e.an archeologist of French ancestry who grew up in Texas

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 yearly cancer rate for men in Glasgow,Scotland,is 130 cases per 100,000." -"Atlas of Cancer in Scotland," World Health Organization (an agency of the United Nations)

In a brief essay,explain what factors help establish someone as an expert.

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. "My cat has fewer brains than a hubcap!" -Spoken by one of the authors of the text after his cat had spent three days on his housetop

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. "[Bybon,a Greek of the sixth century b.c.] threw a 315-pound block of red sandstone over his head.The feat was reported after archeologists found a description of Bybon's act inscribed on the rock itself." -The Book of Lists

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 are thinking of insulating your attic and need advice relative to how much insulation you should install. a.a company that sells insulation but does not install it b.a company that sells and installs insulation c.an energy consultant from your local gas and electric company d.Consumer Reports e.a friend who has recently had his attic insulated

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. "General Motors is on a journey to the future.With the help of its thousands of scientists,designers,and engineers,GM is embarking on an odyssey into the unknown.Roads paved with scientific and technological wonders that might seem like science fictions.But at GM,they're reality...." -From a General Motors magazine advertisement

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 great preponderance of lottery players are from the lowest third of the population in terms of income levels.It is mainly the poor who are being exploited by state lotteries." -A sociology professor at a state university in the Midwest,in a radio interview

Keeping in mind the sources cited,discuss the credibility of the claim(s)made in the following passage: "'You hear in the folklore about miracles happening,but I have never seen one thing yet that could be called an actual medical cure,' says Douglas Sharon,a University of California,Los Angeles,anthropologist who has studied curandrismo [Peruvian folk medicine] on the north coast of Peru for 18 years." -From a National Geographic Magazine news feature

Exercise:After reading the following account and our remarks,watch a local news program and critically evaluate the newsworthiness of each story covered.How much is news and how much is entertainment? "A shocking scene in a Lake Mary neighborhood tonight," began the anchorman."A home surrounded by crime scene tape.And a death police are calling suspicious." Up on the screen flashed the words,"Neighborhood Shocker!" "Police say they don't know much about the life of Betty Bracone," on-the-scene reporter Nicole Smith began."They do know that she was 66 years old and she lived in this home.They do know she had a family and they found many pictures of children inside her home." Smith then segued to an interview with a policeman who said there was no forced entry,that everything in the house was intact and that nothing indicated a robbery. "The autopsy will be held tomorrow and they're not exactly sure yet what they will find," Smith said."So they want to keep a very tight lid on what happened....Live in Lake Mary,Nicole Smith,Channel 6 News." -From a report on Channel 6 News,Orlando,Florida Remarks:Although this report filled the screen with the flashing lights of emergency vehicles and bright yellow crime-scene tape,it was remarkable mainly for being a complete nonstory.The 66-year-old Betty Bracone,it turned out,had died in her own bed of a heart attack,hardly a big news event.But the episode shows how local news programs will go to great lengths to produce an exciting news bit even though it is entirely hype.Every story like this takes up space that could have been devoted to real news.

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:In the O.J.Simpson murder case,did the judge rule correctly in admitting evidence that was obtained at Simpson's house before a search warrant was issued? a.a well-known defense attorney who heads the American Trial Lawyers Association b.the former district attorney for Los Angeles County c.a retired judge on the U.S.Court of Appeals