TASK 1 There are many types of fallacies. Here are some of them. Match the types of fallacy to their examples. Types of Fallacies a) Authority b) General Opinion c) Tradition d) Hasty Conclusion e) Over-Generalisation f) Example g) Analogy Argument Examples 1. The success of mass poverty combating policies based on economic growth of China, India and Brazil clearly illustrates why macroeconomic stability is the key factor in poverty reduction. 2. Peter Cowen believes that university education should not be free because people do not usually put a high value on what they get for free. Because Peter works hard and can afford higher tuition fees at university, he is certain that anyone can earn enough to be able to pay their tuition fee. 3. President Václav Klaus argues that current environmentalism is the biggest threat to freedom and prosperity. This is why environmental movements should not be supported by democratic governments. 4. The smoking ban resulted in 9 per cent fewer people being admitted to hospital with heart attacks in the first year of enforcement. The number of smokers has not decreased, therefore the fall in admissions is the result of the declining exposure to second-hand smoke. 5. More than 60 percent of Czechs support the death penalty; polls show. The Parliament should, therefore, re-establish this form of punishment into the Czech law system. 6. Parents have employed spanking as a disciplinary method for thousands of years and therefore see there is no reason to view this as child abuse. 7. The national budget deficit acts like a metastasizing cancer. The danger is it can destroy the country´s economy from within. But similarly with cancer, an effective means for the national debt treatment is very limited. TASK 2 Read the texts below and explain, what the authors want us to believe and how we, if we were non-critical readers, could be confused. a) There are clear disparities between the treatment of white and other non-white drug users in the USA. A recent survey of the US Public Health Service estimated that 75% of illegal drug-users in the US were white, 13% Afro-American, and 9% Hispanic. Yet, in New York State, 93% of all drug-possession offenders sent to prison were Afro-American and Hispanic; in California, it was 72%. b) Technology is an important aspect of being human. It is a natural concept because it forms part of human evolution. Technology uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems of human life, especially in the area of transport, industry, medicine or communication. The oldest technology is probably the use of fire, followed then by many others from the wheel invention thousands of years ago to the print or steam engine centuries later and to the internet, social networks or online games nowadays. c) If an author really wants to make sure that the reader loses interest I recommend that he/she does not introduce the ideas and main findings straightaway, but instead hides them at the end of a lengthy narrative. The techniques can be refined by putting the same emphasis on what is unimportant or marginally important to what is really important to make certain that the writing creates the proper hypnotic effect which will put the reader to sleep. (Snad-Jensen, 2007: 2) d) Europe is above all a community of values. The aim of European unification is to realise, test, develop and safeguard these values. They are rooted in common legal principles acknowledging the freedom of the individual and social responsibility. Fundamental European values are based on tolerance, humanity and fraternity. Building on its historical roots in classical antiquity and Christianity, Europe further developed these values during the course of the Renaissance, the Humanist movement, and the Enlightenment, which led in turn to the development of democracy, the recognition of fundamental and human rights and the rule of law. The great currents of culture and art, scientific discoveries and their application for the general good, and the critical analysis of accepted views and perceptions have all had the effect that we can now live and work together in peace, liberty and freedom from want. Europe has spread these values throughout the world. Thus our Continent became the mother of revolutions in the modern world. Europeans have worked to establish freedom, justice and democracy as the principles of international relations, thereby opening the way to a free and peaceful future. (Buamgart, 2003) e) The fact is that the world is divided between users of the Macintosh computer and users of MS-DOS compatible computers. I am firmly of the opinion that the Macintosh is Catholic and that DOS is Protestant. Indeed, the Macintosh is counter-reformist and has been influenced by the ratio studiorum of the Jesuits. It is cheerful, friendly, conciliatory; it tells the faithful how they must proceed step by step to reach -- if not the kingdom of Heaven -- the moment in which their document is printed. It is catechistic: The essence of revelation is dealt with via simple formulae and sumptuous icons. Everyone has a right to salvation. DOS is Protestant, or even Calvinistic. It allows free interpretation of scripture, demands difficult personal decisions, imposes a subtle hermeneutics upon the user, and takes for granted the idea that not all can achieve salvation. To make the system work you need to interpret the program yourself: Far away from the baroque community of revelers, the user is closed within the loneliness of his own inner torment. You may object that, with the passage to Windows, the DOS universe has come to resemble more closely the counter-reformist tolerance of the Macintosh. It's true: Windows represents an Anglican-style schism, big ceremonies in the cathedral, but there is always the possibility of a return to DOS to change things in accordance with bizarre decisions: When it comes down to it, you can decide to ordain women and gays if you want to. (Eco, 1994) Task 3 Complete the quotes and discuss your views about them. DEGREE EDUCATION UNIVERSITY EDUCATE 1. “If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, __________ people.” – Chinese proverb. 2. “Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college __________ .” ~ Mark Twain (1835-1910), 19th century American writer. 3. “A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a __________ education he may steal the whole railroad.” ~Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26^th American president. 4. “No one wants a good education; everyone wants a good ___________.” ~ Lee Rudolph, American math professor.