Discussion
For your next discussion you will simulate a classroom dialogue about Roswell. You will make three posts total:
ARGUMENT- 250 words Read "1947 Roswell Incident" (ufoevidence.org) in Readings Packet. It is the very first article in the Readings Packet. Use the material from this article (and your knowledge of Logic from Chapter 4 Exam 3) to make a positive argument that aliens did in fact land in Roswell in July 1947. You may make this argument in any number of ways. For example, you might argue that there are a number of eyewitnesses (Dan Wilmot, Jesse Marcel, etc. ) and that establishes the claim. Alternatively you may argue that the physical evidence of a crash at Roswell is enough to prove or reasonably prove the conclusion. There are several other arguments you can make by drawing on material in the Roswell Incident article. JUST NEED THIS ONE RIGHT NOW!
COUNTERARGUMENT - 250 words Read "Roswell-Anatomy of a Myth" by Kent Jeffrey (Journal of Scientific Exploration Vol 12. No.1) and read "What really happened at Roswell" by Kal Korff (Sketpical Inquirer Volume 21.4 July/August 1997). This is the second article in the Readings Packet. Use the material from this article (and your knowledge of Logic from Chapter 4 Exam 3) to make a counterargument to another student's post that aliens did in fact land in Roswell in July, 1947. Importantly, you will be countering someone else's argument. You may make a counterargument in any number of ways but your response needs to address the original post! For example, someone may have argued that eyewitness testimony establishes the case. So, you might argue that eyewitness evidence is unreliable. Here you need to be specific, why is the eyewitness testimony unreliable? Why does Jeffrey think much of the information about Roswell is misleading can that be applied to the post you are reacting to? Is eyewitness testimony enough to establish such a claim ? Most importantly, your post most be a reaction to another person's post.
WILL POST WHEN I GET ONE THEN RESPOND TO POST!
EVALUATION - 300 words Read an argument post and a counterargument post. Then, respond by evaluating both and explaining which side, in your opinion, prevails. You may evaluate each of these positions in a number of ways but your post needs to be responsive to the original posts. If the argument is a better position to take than the counterargument, why specifically is that? Has one side adopted a position which leads to an absurd result (Reductio)? Has one side failed to employ Occam's Razor properly? Has one side employed an argument fallacy in order to prevail?