2.1: I.

Determine whether, in typical contexts, the following sentences are or are

not statements.
1. Capital punishment is wrong.
2. What do you say we stop at the next rest stop?
3. Great!
4. I hope Peter likes his new job.
5. Please print your name legibly.
6. What a crock!
7. I’ll have a cheeseburger and fries, please. (said to a fast-food restaurant
employee
8. Yikes!
2.1: I. Xác định xem, trong các ngữ cảnh điển hình, các câu sau đây có phải là
mệnh đề hay không.
1. Hình phạt tử hình là sai. Tuyên bố đang bàn cãi
2. Bạn nói chúng ta sẽ dừng ở điểm dừng tiếp theo như thế nào?
3. Tuyệt vời!
4. Tôi hy vọng Peter thích công việc mới của anh ấy.
5. Vui lòng viết tên của bạn một cách rõ ràng.
6. Thật là khốn nạn!
7. Làm ơn cho tôi một chiếc burger phô mai và khoai tây chiên. (nói với một nhân
viên nhà hàng thức ăn nhanh
8. Rất tiếc!
II. Determine whether the following passages do or do not contain ought
imperatives.
1. Be nice to your kids. They’ll choose your nursing home. (bumper sticker)
2. Turn off your engine when waiting to pick up the kids. Idling longer than ten
seconds in park uses more gas than restarting the car. (Al Gore)
3. Up, sluggard, and waste not life; in the grave will be sleeping enough. (Benjamin
Franklin)
4. If you play [poker] enough, accept that from time to time you are going to go
bust, because from time to time, everyone, even the best of the best, does. (Doc
Holliday)
5. If you consume three or more alcoholic drinks every day, ask your doctor
whether you should take ibuprofen or other pain relievers/fever reducers. Ibuprofen
may cause stomach bleeding. (label)
II. Xác định xem những đoạn văn sau đây có chứa mệnh lệnh nên hay không.
6. 1. Hãy tử tế với con bạn. Họ sẽ chọn viện dưỡng lão của bạn. (nhãn dán cản xe)
7. 2.Tắt máy khi chờ đón trẻ. Chạy không tải lâu hơn mười giây trong bãi đậu xe sẽ
tốn nhiều xăng hơn việc khởi động lại xe. (Al Gore)
8. 3. Sống lười biếng và không lãng phí cuộc đời; trong mộ sẽ ngủ đủ giấc.
(Benjamin Franklin)
9. 4. Nếu bạn chơi [poker] đủ nhiều, hãy chấp nhận rằng đôi khi bạn sẽ phá sản, bởi
vì đôi khi, tất cả mọi người, ngay cả những người giỏi nhất trong số những người
giỏi nhất, đều như vậy. (Bác sĩ Holliday)
10.5. Nếu bạn uống từ ba đồ uống có cồn trở lên mỗi ngày, hãy hỏi bác sĩ xem bạn có
nên dùng ibuprofen hoặc các loại thuốc giảm đau/hạ sốt khác hay không. Ibuprofen
có thể gây chảy máu dạ dày. (nhãn)
2.2 Identifying Premises and conclusions
III. The following exercises will give you practice in identifying premises and
conclusions.
1. Since light takes time to reach our eyes, all that we see really existed in the past.
(Louis Pojman, The Theory of Knowledge )
2. I think faith is a vice, because faith means believing a proposition when there is
no good reason for believing it. (Bertrand Russell, “The Existence and Nature of
God”)
3. Science is based on experiment, on a willingness to challenge old dogma, on an
openness to see the universe as it really is. Accordingly, science sometimes requires
courage—at the very least the courage to question the conventional wisdom. (Carl
Sagan, Broca’s Brain: Refl ections on the Romance of Science.
4. You know how I know animals have souls? Because on average, the lowest animal
is a lot nicer and kinder than most of the human beings that inhabit this Earth.
(newspaper call-in column)
5. There is nothing wrong with burning crude [oil] like crazy—oil isn’t helping
anyone when it sits in the ground—so long as there’s a plan for energy alternatives
when the cheap oil runs out. (Gregg Easterbrook, “Opportunity Costs”)
6. Has it ever occurred to you how lucky you are to be alive? More than 99% of all
creatures that have ever lived have died without progeny, but not a single one of your
ancestors falls into this group! (Daniel C. Dennett, Darwin’s
2.2 Xác định tiền đề và kết luận
III. Các bài tập sau đây sẽ giúp bạn thực hành cách xác định các tiền đề và kết
luận.
1. Vì ánh sáng cần có thời gian để đến được mắt chúng ta nên tất cả những gì chúng ta
nhìn thấy đều thực sự tồn tại trong quá khứ. (Louis Pojman, Lý thuyết về tri thức)
2. Tôi nghĩ đức tin là một tật xấu, bởi vì đức tin có nghĩa là tin vào một mệnh đề khi
không có lý do chính đáng để tin vào nó. (Bertrand Russell, “Sự tồn tại và bản chất
của Thiên Chúa”)
3. Khoa học dựa trên thực nghiệm, trên sự sẵn sàng thách thức những giáo điều cũ,
trên sự cởi mở để nhìn vũ trụ như thực tế của nó. Theo đó, khoa học đôi khi đòi hỏi
lòng can đảm - ít nhất là lòng can đảm để đặt câu hỏi về sự hiểu biết thông thường.
(Carl Sagan, Bộ não của Broca: Những suy ngẫm về sự lãng mạn của khoa học.
4. Bạn biết làm sao tôi biết động vật có linh hồn không? Bởi vì nhìn chung, loài động
vật thấp nhất sẽ đẹp và tử tế hơn rất nhiều so với hầu hết loài người sống trên Trái đất
này. (chuyên mục gọi điện trên báo)
5. Không có gì sai khi đốt [dầu] dầu thô một cách điên cuồng—dầu không giúp được
gì cho ai khi nó nằm yên trong lòng đất—miễn là có kế hoạch về năng lượng thay thế
khi hết dầu giá rẻ. (Gregg Easterbrook, “Chi phí cơ hội”)
6. Bạn có bao giờ nghĩ mình may mắn thế nào khi còn sống chưa? Hơn 99% tất cả các
sinh vật từng sống đã chết mà không có con cháu, nhưng không một tổ tiên nào của
bạn rơi vào nhóm này! (Daniel C. Dennett, Darwin's
IV. Identify the premises and conclusions in the following arguments.
1. When the universe has crushed him man will still be nobler than that which kills
him, because he knows that he is dying, and of its victory the universe knows
nothing. (Blaise Pascal, Pensées)
2. Since moral responsibility presupposes free-will, since this freedom is not
compatible with universal causal determinism, and since universal causal
determinism appears to be the case, it seems evident that—contrary to what most
people believe—human beings are not morally responsible. (stated but not
endorsed in William H. Halverson, A Concise Introduction to Philosophy, 4th
ed. [adapted])
3. How can anyone in his right mind criticize the state police for the speed traps? If
you’re not speeding, you don’t have to worry about them. It could save your life
if some other speeder is stopped. (newspaper call-in column)
4. If a man say, “I love God,” and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not
his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? (I
John 4:20)
5. Whether you like it or not, you’d better accept reality the way it occurs: as
highly imperfect and fi lled with most fallible human beings. Your alternative?
Continual anxiety and desperate disappointments. (Albert Ellis and Robert A.
Harper, A New Guide to Rational Living )
6. Getting in your run early certainly has its advantages. Those who develop the fi rst-
thing-in-the-morning routine tend to be more consistent in their training. . . .
Morning runs also avoid the heat and peak air pollution. You can enjoy your run
without carrying along all the stress that builds up during the day. Early-morning
runs . . . save time too by combining your morning and postrun shower. (Bob
Glover and Shelly-lynn Florence Glover, The Competitive Runner’s
Handbook ).
7. Shop at the farmer’s market. You’ll begin to eat food in season, when they are at
the peak of their nutritional value and fl avor, and you’ll cook, because you won’t
 fi nd anything processed or microwavable. You’ll also be supporting farmers in
your community, helping defend the countryside from sprawl, saving oil by
eating food produced nearby, and teaching your children that a carrot is a root,
not a machine-lathed orange bullet that comes in a plastic bag. (Michael Pollan,
“Six Reasons for Eating Wisely”) .
Phân tích 1 luận điểm:
1. Bertie probably isn’t home. His car isn’t in the driveway, and there are no
lights on in his house.
2. No members of the volleyball team like rap music. Andrea is a member of the
volleyball team. So, Andrea doesn’t like rap music.
3. Don’t copy off Sturdley’s exam. He’s one of the worst students in class. My
roommate told me he’s bombed every test this semester.
4. Affirmative action in higher education is morally justify (đạo đức) able because
it compensates (bù đắp) for past discrimination (phân biệt), provides valuable
role models for women and minorities, and promotes multicultural
understanding.
5. This is either my car or Sandy’s car. If it is my car, my key should fit in the
lock. But my key doesn’t fi t in the lock. So, this is Sandy’s car.
6. Wexford College is a really great college. The students are friendly. The
faculty really care about the students. The campus is beautiful, and the athletic
facilities are great.
7. Only three people could have stolen the CD: Danny, Stacy, or Patrick. But
Stacy couldn’t have stolen the CD because she was out riding her bike. Patrick
couldn’t have stolen the CD because he was at a friend’s house. Therefore,
Danny must have stolen the CD.
8 Something is a square only if it is a rectangle. But this isn’t a rectangle. Look,
it has only three sides, and some of the sides aren’t even straight. So, this can’t
be a square.
9. Lasse speaks fluent Finnish (Phần Lan). It is likely, then, that Lasse was born
in Finland. Anyone born in Finland is a Finnish citizen. So Lasse is likely a
Finnish citizen. Finnish citizens are entitled to European Union travel privileges.
So Lasse is probably entitled to European Union travel privileges.
10. Several states have abolished (bãi bỏ) the insanity defense as a defense against
criminal (hình sự) responsibility (trách nhiệm). This may be popular with voters,
but it is morally (đạo đức) indefensible (chối cãi). Insanity (điên rồ) removes
moral responsibility, and it is wrong to punish (trừng phạt) someone who is not
morally responsible for his crime (tội ác). Moreover, it is pointless to punish the
insane because punishment (trừng phạt) has no deterrent effect on a person who
can not appreciate the wrongfulness or criminality of his or her actions.
11. Jeremiah is a bullfrog (ếch ương). It follows—since all bullfrogs are
amphibians (động vật lưỡng cư) that Jeremiah is an amphibian. All
amphibians can drink wine. So Jeremiah can help me drink my wine.
12. It’s foolish to smoke cigarettes. Smoking is expensive, unhealthy, and
obnoxious to many nonsmokers. I wouldn’t date anyone who smokes cigarettes.
13. If today is Saturday, then tomorrow is Sunday. If tomorrow is Sunday, then
we’ll be having pasta for dinner. If we’ll be having pasta for dinner, then I
should pick up some red wine today because In this state wine can be
purchased only at liquor stores, and the liquor stores are closed on Sundays.
Today is Saturday. Therefore, I should pick up some red wine today.
14. If Amy isn’t dating Sturdley, she’s dating Mel or Steve. Amy isn’t dating
Sturdley because she doesn’t date anyone who uses drugs, and Sturdley sniffs
glue practically every weekend. Thus, Amy is dating Mel or Steve. Amy
won’t date anyone who isn’t a football player, however, nor will she date anyone
who isn’t good-looking. Both Mel and Steve are good-looking, but Steve
isn’t a football player. Consequently, Amy is not dating Steve. We canlogically
deduce, therefore, that Amy is dating Mel
15. Since our feelings, desires, and preferences can be either beneficial or harmful,
noble or ignoble, praiseworthy or damnable, and since they can be either in
harmony or in conflict with other people’s feelings, desires, and preferences,
they are obviously not accurate tools for analysis of moral issues or trustworthy
guidelines to action
16. Suppose (giả sử) you had one sheep which fell into a ditch (mương) on the
Sabbath (ngày sát bát); is there one of you who would not catch hold of it and lift it
out? And ➁ surely a man is worth more than a sheep! ➂ It is therefore permitted
(được phép) to do good on the Sabbath. (Jesus, Matt.12:11–12).
17. Wealth (sự giàu có) is not sought (tìm kiếm) except for the sake (lợi ích) of
something else, because ➁ of itself it brings us no good, but only when we use it,
whether for the support of the body or some similar purpose. Now ➂ the highest
good is sought for its own sake (lợi ích), and not for another’s sake. Therefore ➃
wealth is not man’s highest good. (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles
18. A square must have exactly four corners, and a circle must
have exactly zero corners. So a round square must have
exactly four corners and simultaneously have exactly zero
corners. But this is plainly impossible; hence there cannot
be a round square.
19. ➀ If a body moves, either it must move in the place where it is or in the place
where it is not. ➁ But it cannot move in the place where it is, and ➂ it cannot move
in the place where it is not. Therefore, ➃ no body can move. (Zeno, “Paradoxes”)

20. Education implies (ngụ ý, bao hàm) teaching. ➁ Teaching implies knowledge.
➂ Knowledge is truth. ➃ The truth is everywhere the same. Hence ➄ education
should be everywhere the same. (Robert Maynard Hutchins,The Higher Learning
in the United States)