Diagramming Arguments
unit 2 participation activity | formal logic
Directions. Draw a diagram that represents the logical support among the premises and
conclusion of each argument below.
SAMPLE. (1) The dominant characteristic of sprawl is that each
component of a community—housing, shopping centers, office parks,
and civic institutions—is segregated, physically separated from the
others. (2) This is why the residents of suburbia spend so much time
and money moving from one place to the next. (3) And since nearly
everyone drives alone, (4) even a sparsely populated area can generate
the traffic of a much larger town.
1. (1) At any cost we must have filters on our public library computers.
(2) Pornography is a scourge on society at every level. (3) Our public
library must not be used to channel this filth to the people of the area.
2. (1) Married people are healthier and more economically stable than
single people, (2) and children of married people do better on a variety
of indicators. (3) Marriage is thus a socially responsible act.
3. (1) Vacuum cleaners to insure clean houses are praiseworthy and
essential in our standard of living. (2) Street cleaners to insure clean
streets are an unfortunate expense. (3) Partly as a result, our houses
are generally clean and our streets generally filthy.
4. (1) The development of carbon-embedded plastics, otherwise called
“composits,” is an important new technology because (2) it holds the
key for new aircraft and spacecraft designs. (3) This is so because these
composits are not only stronger than steel but lighter than aluminum.
5. (1) Hard-core drugs should remain illegal. (2) As long as hard-core
drugs are illegal, they are harder to get. (3) Also, the social stigma of
being arrested deters many users.
6. (1) Genes and proteins are discovered, not invented. (2) Only
inventions are patentable, not discoveries. (3) Thus, protein patents
are intrinsically flawed.
7. (1) Eating food raised on large corporate farms is unhealthy for
humans. (2) To keep these animals alive, large quantities of drugs must
be administered. (3) These drugs remain in the animals’ flesh and are
passed on to the humans who eat it.
8. (1) Contributions to relief organizations are often wasted. (2) Food
sent to war-torn countries rarely reaches its destination, (3) because
food distribution is controlled by the warring groups, (4) and these
groups sell the food to buy weapons and ammunition.
(1)
(2) (3)
(4)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(1)
(4)
(2)
(3)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(2)
(3)
(1)
(3)
(1)
(2)
(1)
(2)
(3)
