Afterall.net

Illogic Primer Quotes Clippings Books and Bibliography Paper Trails Links Film

Naming the Elephant

James W. Sire (InterVarsity: June, 2004), 172 pages.

Go Jun 01, 2004

For more than thirty years James W. Sire has grappled with this issue. In this book he offers readers his most mature thought on the concept of a worldview, addressing such questions as: What is the history of the concept itself? What is the first question we should ask in formulating a worldview: What is the really real? or How do we know anything at all? How are worldviews formed existentially as well as intellectually? Is a worldview primarily an intellectual system, a way of life or a story? What are the public and private dimensions of a worldview? What role can worldview thinking play in assessing our own worldview and those of others, especially in light of the pluralism within which we live? In his widely used textbook The Universe Next Door, first published in 1976, Sire offered a succinct definition of a worldview and cataloged in summary fashion seven basic worldview alternatives. Students, critics, new literature and continued reflection have led him to reexamine and refine his definition of a worldview. This companion volume to The Universe Next Door is the fruit of that effort. Here is an excellent resource for all who want to explore more deeply how and why worldview thinking can aid us in navigating our pluralistic universe.

Fallacy of Exclusion and Suppressed Evidence

Go May 31, 2004 Evidence which would change the outcome of an inductive argument is excluded from consideration.

Causal Fallacies

Go May 31, 2004 It is common for arguments to conclude that one thing causes another. But the relation between cause and effect is a complex one.

Equivocation

Go May 31, 2004 The same term is used with two different meanings.

Appeal to Consequence

Go May 31, 2004 Intimidation of the listener with a threat of undesirable consequences.

Appeal to Force

Go May 31, 2004 Coercing agreement by forceful or threatening means.

Slippery Slope

Go May 31, 2004 A series of increasingly unacceptable consequences is drawn.

False Dilemmas and Excluded Possibilities

Go May 31, 2004 Two choices are given when in fact there are three options.

Survival of the Rhetoricians

Nathan Jacobson

Go May 18, 2004

For any of you nostalgic for your days sparring for your high-school debate team, here’s a spirited argument of the point-counterpoint variety that is sure to please. A while back Jonathan Wells, author of The Icons of Evolution, shot off the salvo, “Ten Questions to Ask Your Biology Teacher about Evolution“. The National Center for Science Education has offered its own defense in lieu of your own local “high school biology professor”. And now, to counter that counterpunch, Wells has written “Inherit the Spin” wherein he countenances each of the NCSE’s answers and finds them unsatisfying. With this most recent contribution Wells has elevated the debate considerably and one hopes that the NCSE will return for round four.

Appeal to Authority

Go May 07, 2004 1) The authority is not an expert in the field; 2) experts in the field disagree; 3) the authority wasn't speaking in earnest; 4) or, the authority is misrepresented.