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14Eemeren, Frans H. van, Grootendorst, Rob and Snoeck Henkemans, A. Francisca (2002) (review)Argumentation 18 (4): 489-494. 2004.
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45Precision, Consistency, Implication, and InferenceThinking: The Journal of Philosophy for Children 15 (1): 30-37. 2000.
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Louis Althusser, L'Avenir dure longtemps suivi de Les faits (review)Philosophy in Review 14 4-4. 1994.
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239Critical Thinking and Small Group ActivitiesInformal Logic 30 (4). 2010.I mention the benefits, challenges, and costs of using small group activities to enhance our students’ learning of critical thinking skills in our courses, and then describe ten examples of these groups. Two of these examples are not commonly reported in the literature on small groups, so I describe them in greater detail to facilitate their use in our courses
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166Circular definitions, circular explanations, and infinite regressesArgumentation 8 (3): 295-308. 1994.This paper discusses some of the ways in which circular definitions and circular explanations entail or fail to entail infinite regresses. And since not all infinite regresses are vicious, a few criteria of viciousness are examined in order to determine when the entailment of a regress refutes a circular definition or a circular explanation.
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74I examine a number of infinite regress arguments whose infinite regresses are presented or described in terms of recurring questions and answers in order to determine whether such recurring questions have any role in generating these infinite regresses, or in disqualifying the recurring answers. I argue that despite the existence of such infinite regress arguments and the suggestions of some philosophers, these recurring questions have no such roles. Some ways of handling these infinite regress …Read more
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53Letting and making death happen, withholding and withdrawing life-support: Morally irrelevant distinctions (review)Journal of Medical Humanities 11 (2): 75-80. 1990.The author argues that there is no morally relevant distinction between letting and making death happen, and between withholding and withdrawing life-support. There is a discussion of possible adverse consequences in believing that there are moral distinctions. And then he shows that acknowledging the absence of such a distinction does not necessarily imply any endorsement of active euthanasia
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62Arguments about Arguments (review)Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 24 (1-2): 49-51. 2004.
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278What is an Infinite Regress Argument?Informal Logic 18 (2). 1996.I describe the general structure of most infinite regress arguments; introduce some basic vocabulary; present a working hypothesis of the nature and derivation of an infinite regress; apply this working hypothesis to various infinite regress arguments to explain why they fail to entail an infinite regress; describe a common mistake in attempting to derive certain infinite regresses; and examine how infinite regresses function as a premise
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79Jacques Pierre, Mircea Eliade : le jour et la nuit. Entre la littérature et la science, Montréal, Hurtubise HMH , 1989, 376 pages (review)Philosophiques 20 (1): 205-206. 1993.
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84Counterexamples and Tacit PremisesInquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 20 (1): 9-22. 2000.I argue that there are at least two kinds of tacit premises; describe a certain type of counterexample against the validity of arguments, and then use it to identify one kind of tacit premise. I distinguish two classes of tacit premises on the grounds that they are discovered or constructed differently, they have different roles in an argument or causal explanation, and have different logical relations to each other.
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32: I explore the logic of counterexamples by possible conjunction in order to extend their use to estimate the degree of support of premises; address some problems with my proposal; discuss some ways of teaching this extended use; and argue that conditional probability fails to express the degree of support of premises. The scant literature on this topic sometimes presents the degree of support of premises P1…Pn for conclusion C in terms of conditional probability, Pr. I will argue that the degre…Read more
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Aspects of the Logic of Infinite Regress ArgumentsDissertation, University of Toronto (Canada). 1995.I investigate various logical and contextual factors involved in the derivation and use of infinite regresses in infinite regress arguments. I discuss the concept of a regress; identify different kinds of infinite regresses; clarify the core structure of most infinite regress arguments; use the logic of binary relations to explain the derivation of the most common kind of infinite regress encountered in my research; explain how circular definitions and circular explanations entail infinite regre…Read more
