Philosophy 251

Writing Assignment #5

General Information for Completing Writing Assignments:

(i) Each assignment is worth up to ten points. You will get one point for providing the correct answer and up to nine points for clearly and concisely justifying whatever answer you give. Note, that the emphasis is on justifying your solution regardless of whether it is correct or not. (Imagine that you are writing a solution that is to appear in a magazine in which the problem was presented in an earlier issue. Hence, you need to clearly and fully explain why the answer is the way it is, such that the readers will understand exactly why the answer is the way it is.) Below are some questions that I will ask when evaluating your assignments.

  1. Is the answer clearly stated and identified as the answer?
  2. Is the answer answering the question asked?
  3. Does the student justify the answer actually given?
  4. Does the student fail to account for (or contradict) a relevant fact from the problem?
  5. Does the student make any assumptions not warranted by the problem?
  6. Does the student contradict him/herself in the answer or justification?
  7. Would the justification be understandable to someone who has read the problem, but does not know the answer?

(ii) All assignments must be your own individual and independent work and be pledged. By 'your own individual and independent work' I understand that the student will not have discussed the assignment with any other individual or looked at any other individual's solution prior to the assignment being handed in.

(iii) All assignments are to be done on separate sheets of paper. Each sheet of paper must have your name on it.

(iv) Late assignments receive no credit.

Aliens and Hangovers

If anyone has hallucinated, he or she has seen Elvis. No one who has been hypnotized has not quacked like a duck for no reason. Only people who have been injected with powerful drugs have been to a doctor. If you have never claimed to have seen aliens, then you have never been abducted by aliens. The only people who have been to Las Vegas have splurged on the 'good stuff'. If someone has never been to a doctor, then he or she has never quacked like a duck for no reason. No one who has not been to Las Vegas has seen Elvis. Anyone who has been injected with powerful drugs has hallucinated. People who have never had a hangover have never splurged on the 'good stuff'. Everyone who has never been hypnotized has never claimed to have seen aliens.

What, if anything, can you conclude about the relationship between being abducted by aliens and having a hangover? Justify your answer.

Due: Monday, Nov. 10, at the beginning of class.

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