Simon Thomas
Orthopaedic Surgeon, strong interest in History, in particular Scottish History, but I'm not fussy! I also enjoy prehistory, and hope to take part in a dig one day. Fitness, psychology, philosophy...
Location Scotland
Activity
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Desire is the motivation to make a change, to the extent that you might be willing to sacrifice something else for it (the perceived rewards of the existing undesirable behaviour). If you don't have sufficient desire to be fitter, then you are going to fall at the first pizza hurdle! Similarly a change has to be sustainable. It is possible to make some radical...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
SMART goals! (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time limited)
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Simon Thomas made a comment
The word "separate" is a bit vague here. Feelings and behaviours are clearly linked, but they are potentially separate. I do not have to act in response to my feelings, and it may take some self-discipline not to do so (which may be learned and developed with time- children will act on their feelings more readily than adults). So I would suggest that they are...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I think real learning is moving information (either a concept or skill) from the short term to the long term part of memory, so that next time you don't just remember something, but you know it. Often for me this has involved using the knowledge/skill in some way, especially teaching it to somebody else and seeing how they take it in and understand it.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Most of what I do is as a person rather than in a "leader" capacity. I am friendly to all team members and engage them in conversation, treating them all with respect (Heart). I maintain my knowledge and regularly look for advances in practice (Head). I make sure that I always do what I promise and am ready to help wherever I can (Hands)
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Poor workplace- everyone is afraid of being criticised and not at ease when they performing their job
Good workplace- people are comfortable to contribute without fear of criticism or conflict
People have a clear goal of what they are trying to achieve and how the department is working together to achieve it
People take ownership of problems and are... -
Enrolled via NHS Leadership academy
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Hi, I'm Simon, consultant orthopaedic surgeon
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Simon Thomas replied to Andrew Mackillop
@AndrewMackillop so if the Crown "hijacked" the clan structure to exert control over the country, would it be fair to say that this was just an effective government measure which lead to the demise of the clans (due to the breakdown of the duthchas/oighreachd balance) and was equally, if not more, effective than the later chiefs' self-interest? Or perhaps was...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
It was very interesting, and I did learn some surprising facts about the legal basis behind clanship, and how flexible they could be. Also, how the Highland geography was so instrumental in the emergence of Romanticism as an art form.
I would have liked to hear some more of the origin stories (eg Somerled).
Thank you for a great course though!
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I thought Outlander did quite a good job of conveying the sense of community and some of the various roles and relationships in clan society, but at some point the drama had to intervene, at which point that realism stopped. It was a nice change from the typical portrayal of Highlander = true Scot = noble savage = good, vs lowlander = cynical materialist =...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I live in the centre of Scotland, at the southern edge of the Highland line (in Crieff in Perthshire). Every town around has its own Highland Games, and during the summer if you wanted you could attend one or two every weekend. They are much more linked to the town or village, rather than a specific Clan, and are great occasions. For the most part though, they...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
It is very interesting, in the context of modern clan societies, where the genetic link can often be quite dubious, to have learned how clans weren't ever restricted to genetic ties in the first place.
It also raises an interesting question as to what it means to be part of a specific clan. Given that clan society broke down so long ago, nobody today...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Scott's work seems more at attempt to describe a realistic picture of the terrain and wildlife, rather than Byrons very dramatic and almost mythical description. He also emphasises the wildness of the Scottish landscape (to contrast with tamed and tended English gardens) They are written from different points of view, but in both pieces there is a clear sense...
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It's strange how the romantic image of Scotland- of Highland Scotland- is seen as such a positive thing around the world, and yet is very mixed in Scotland. Most of the people live in the lowlands and have no real link to Highland or clan culture, but are quite proud of the strong Scottish cultural identity as recognised world-wide. And yet at the same time,...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
So if the Highland regiments were equally, if not more, inclined to the government side, how should we view the subsequent attack on highland way of life post-Culloden? Surely the army knew how much support they had received from the clans, and that the Highlands weren't simply a hotbed of Jacobitism? I can understand that the caricature of barbarian...
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Can I offer an example just to clarify my understanding? Suppose I have moved to an area under the Campbells. My name is Simon Thomas, and my father is Laurence and my grandfather was William. I have previously had no affiliation with the Campbells but being a newcomer to the area, I am willing to become a member of the clan.
1. Assuming I am a useful...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Here's a thought that has just occurred to me. Whenever clan structure and lifestyle is discussed or described, the concept of duthchas is emphasised, and the word always crops up as part of the definition. Is that because today we are so aware that it was the loss of that sense of duthchas which lead to the loss of clan structure as they were abandoned by the...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
It was interesting to learn of the politics between the major clans and the crown, and how it became crystallised in the War of the 3 Kingdoms (which seems to have had a completely different dynamic in Scotland as it did in England).
It was surprising how early the clan structure began to be eroded, and suggests that the Highlands as seen in "Outlander"...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I would say that the driver for change was social/economic, which was then enacted by Crown policy and accelerated by National conflict and war.
As cities grew economically, the allure for the clan chiefs was always going to be too great. It has been seen in nearly all societies. With time and increasing prosperity the distance between the nobility and the...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Interesting to see these forces beginning as early as they did. I thought the concept of Clan Chiefs adopting lowland ways and neglecting their clan lands (except as means of generating money to preserve their London/Edinburgh lifestyles) was a later, Hanoverian, phenomenon. Was it started by James VI/I moving to London, taking his court with him?
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Simon Thomas made a comment
It's impossible to answer this except in the context of modern society. Given that I (and I suspect nearly everyone else taking part in this course) have benefitted from the structures of modern, urban infrastructure/law/technology/education etc, and today's increasing secularisation and rejection of monarchy/oligarchy, it would be difficult to argue that we...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
So it was more about cutting the over mighty Campbells down to size, using religion as an excuse. Once a rift between Clan Campbell and the crown had emerged, all those wanting to see a reduction in their power would support the Stuart King. Was he still seen as Scottish? Did the "Royalists" really see themselves as fighting for Charles? Given the Stuarts'...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I'm sure that James didn't have any problems with Gaelic culture in itself, he just wanted obedience. I suspect his division could be translated into those who will do as they are told (with some persuasion) and those who never will. The clan structure itself could have worked in his favour, as a stricter feudalism, as long as the chiefs were loyal.
By...
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A lot is remembered about the details of battle (whether true or imagined), with emphasis on the fury of a particular warrior, or some blood-curdling detail, which is then accompanied by a poem or song lamenting the loss of someone (who was always the wonderful person imaginable). Very little is said of the cause of the battle (the Mcleods instigating a raid-...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Much as Chamberlain being decried by history because Churchill wrote the history, it seems as though the MacGregors suffer for not having the power of the Campbells to shape the history. The story here is told in what seems to be a MacGregor-sympathetic way (by Martin MacGregor), making the Campbells out to be Machiavellian manipulators, which fits with the...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
To what extent was the crown just happy to let the clans fight among themselves, thereby decreasing the chances of a Highland hegemony reinstating the Lordship of the Isles?
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Is it stretching things to say that this is the origin of feuding tradition found in Scottish areas of the USA eg. Hatfield vs McCoy?
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Organisational ability
Knowledge of the people and the land, and the respect of the local population
Knowledge of farming practices
Knowledge of military requirements -
Simon Thomas made a comment
I would like to know more about how the system came into being, maybe some more of the "foundation stories".
It was very interesting to read about the different philosophies about the clan system- dùthchas, etc.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
A lot of the photos of the dig and the drawings of the dwellings wouldn't have looked out of place at Scara Brae!
It is amazing what archaeology can discover these days if enough care is taken to record every detail of the the dig.
Although extremely useful in its own right, in the historical period it seems that the most powerful use of archaeology is...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
There are a lot of kernels of truth in oral and folk history, which can be preserved over centuries, if not thousands of years. Famous examples are of the Trojan War, the Great Flood, and possibly Atlantis. The details get mangled over time and retelling, along with the motivations of who is telling the story, but the basic idea is often preserved (a great...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
On the subject of churches and their use as a statement of ownership of a territory, it is interesting to compare this to ancient neolithic monuments such as Maes Howe, or other chambered tombs, which seem to mark a different behaviour from Mesolithic (more nomadic) people. What I mean is that as soon as people stop travelling about on such a regular basis and...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I seem to have developed habit of making a comment which is then answered in the next page!
Interesting to read how the Clan Chiefs acted as local judiciary. Thinking of how the Clan system developed in conjunction with the crown, at what point (and how) did the Highland chiefs accept that they needed royal authority to exert this responsibility, as opposed... -
Simon Thomas made a comment
Religion usually just serves as an excuse to identify a group of people as "other" and allow tribalism to flourish, much as football supporters often do today (and of course, in some places, notably Glasgow, the two are combined). I suspect that adopting a particular religion allowed one clan to justify attacking another. They may even have believed it was...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
It's a more structured, legal system than I would have expected. I wouldn't have thought the clans would have wanted to be beholden to a legal system which would have been more lowland in thinking (which might have suited the later, more gentrified clan chiefs). Or is this anachronistic? (I am thinking of a legal system based in Edinburgh, like today, but...
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This seems to be articulating the difference between the concepts of dùthchas and oighreachd. There will have been differing views as to which received priority between the chieftains and the people!
Was there some factor which made dùthchas predominate in general (at first)? Was it generalised, or did it just depend on the personality and whim of the...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I have been trying to work out the difference between clanship and feudalism. In both there are reciprocal obligations between lord-landowner-peasant. I suppose that there is slightly more of an emphasis on kinship in the clans, but not necessarily. The balance between dùthchas and oighreachd might have been a discriminatory factor- a sense that the land was...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
The problem seen in so many cases, of failing to see where the real threat is. No king would have been happy to have a noble with so much power, and everyone in Clan Donald should have seen that. As soon as they were divided, of course he would act against them to reduce their influence.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Although I understand clan means family, and kinship is an important part, my understanding is that blood ties aren't necessary, so I am interested to see how the concepts of family and non-genetic identification combine.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Hi- I'm Simon. To my knowledge I have no direct link to any clans (given my surname, Welsh roots are thought likely, but not for at least a hundred years). I was born in Glasgow and have lived here for the last 30 years. I am fascinated with Scottish history (so far being reasonably well read in pre-history and Roman times and working my way forward).
I...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
2. How can we define the conditions when boundaries can be drawn around certain subjects? If the subject under consideration requires input from a supernatural source then religion has something to say about it. If no input is required, then science can ignore the supernatural. So how do we determine when such input is required? This is where it gets difficult...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
1. Why did science evolve to drop religious considerations? Once you conclude that the universe runs consistently without the need of a God, he becomes irrelevant to any investigation. Whoever built and installed the plumbing in my house is irrelevant when I go to find and fix a leak.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
If God, and the universe he created, is immutable, then once it is created, the universe has no need of God. It continues to run along predetermined rules. God can nip off on holiday and everything will carry on regardless. As such, after the big bang, there is no need for God.
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While I understand the need some people have for there to be an ultimate reason, I have never felt it myself. There doesn't need to be a grand plan. The answer so commonly given "because God made it that way" doesn't;t go any further to explain anything. If God did make it that way, why? "Ah, but we can't understand the will of God" In that case, without...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
This is presumably where the original idea for gods came from back in the mists of time- the "why" we all experience when seeing a natural phenomenon. "Why do the plants grow?" "Why do the stars shine?" When thinking about ourselves, it is easy, because we are aware of our own consciousness and so we have no difficulty believing non our own innate will (which...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Another passage which is extremely difficult to interpret due to the language. But for me, it looks like he is commenting on the developing realisation of the difference between Science (which relies on evidence and searches for objective truth) and Art (which is much more concerned with opinion and subjective sensation), which includes moral philosophy. I...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
A nice anticipation of the modern trend for Universities to appoint Chairs for the Public Understanding of Science, and for open scientific publishing (ie without paywalls)
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Simon Thomas made a comment
As I am probably misquoting, if you think you understand quantum physics, you don't understand quantum physics. But that hasn't stopped us from using those quantum principles which we can understand to change to world technologically. You don't have to understand every facet of a phenomenon, and there may be some which are beyond comprehension, although I...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I'm afraid like those below, I can't understand what More is trying to say. He seems to be discussing free will on the part of air, but that might just be the effect of his flowery language!
Boyle thinks that if the two stones are in close contact, air pressure will push on the bottom and sides of the lower stone but can't push on the upper surface, and so...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I think you could regard the ramp that Galileo used to investigate the action of acceleration on bodies of different sizes. He rolled balls of different weights and observed that they accelerated at the same rate, regardless of their mass. The ramp acted as an instrument because it the alternative, of dropping the objects from a height and seeing how they fell...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Why do I get the feeling that Cavendish would today be an anti-vaxxer, believing such things to be unnatural? (coupled with her ability to comment on and reject a concept of which she admittedly has no detailed knowledge or training!)
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Arguments for- microscopes allow us to see things that our natural senses cannot perceive at all. Also, that they allow us to see in greater detail and precision those things which we can only just make out vaguely without instruments.
Cavendish argues that the very advantage of instruments is their weakness- they manipulate images in such a way that we can...
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Simon Thomas replied to Simon Thomas
That is meant to be a drawing of Newton's experiment with the prism separating white light into colours, although it doesn't show how he then used a second prism to actually prove his point (that white light consisted of the individual colours, which seems pretty relevant to the topics discussed here so far). It is an early attempt to manipulate nature in a...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
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Simon Thomas made a comment
The idea of "intervening into nature" seems to have an anti-religious tone (the idea that man could have the temerity to try to control the natural word as created by God) in a time when most believed in God. Given that Bacon preceded the Enlightenment, which I think is regarded as the time when a trend towards increasing secularism began, does this indicate...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Does the experimental design truly represent the natural phenomenon to be studied? We have already heard that our senses are imperfect. Do we not therefore also fail to sense those aspects of an experiment which may be important? I would expect that the unrealised presence of bacteria altered the results of many early biological experiments before germ theory!
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Simon Thomas made a comment
An analogy has just occurred to me, regarding how to ask a person about something (taking a medical history, or any instance where I want to question somebody to discover information)- observation is like an open question. Very important, and likely to throw up a lot of interesting and useful information, but sometimes difficult to organise, and not rigorous....
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Formation of a hypothesis- a model of explanation for some aspect of the universe
Experimentation- testing that model in an attempt to discover a way in which it fails to explain the relevant phenomenon
Analysis- considering how different hypotheses are supported or not by evidence and testing, amending them if necessary and thereby synthesising a new... -
Simon Thomas made a comment
This has been extremely interesting! Why was it at this point though, that there was such an outpouring of rebellion against the wisdom of the ancients. I understand that the invention of the microscope pushed things on a bit, but for a couple of thousand years people had accepted Aristotle without question. Even the Renaissance was partly made up of a...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Some societal or religious changes which we mark in history seem momentous to us from our current perspective, but are easily ignored by another perspective. eg Protestant Reformation- outside of Europe nobody cared until Europe exported its values around the world during colonisation. Even today however, many still think the Reformation was a massive misstep....
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Moving slightly off point, it is interesting that these attempts at a mechanistic explanation of the world are coming from a man (Descartes) who so famously went to such great lengths to prove the existence of God. Surely, if you believe that God created the world, then it is quite an easy thing to say that He made it "like this" because that's what He wanted,...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Animals seem to move with purpose. It is easy to look at a billiard table and understand that the only motion which is seen is that which results from collisions and balls acting on each other. With animals however, movement and action occurs which seems to have no stimulus. Even something as regular as the heart (which could be easily likened to something...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Passage A seems to extend Aristotelian philosophy, in that the form of wood is not necessarily the form of "wood" but a combination of the forms of other things which combine to make wood (presumably ash and smoke, as well as flame- or phlogisten or equivalent).
Passage B seems to suggest that honey and salt are made of the same stuff, but in different...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
1. The main objection seems to be that the concept of forms explains nothing. To say that water behaves the way it does because it has the form of water is a tautology and brings us no further to knowledge. As such, it adds a totally unnecessary layer of "stuff".
2. For Boyle, "form" seems to be equivalent to "character of the material". ie. not some mystical... -
Simon Thomas made a comment
One strength in the matter-form analysis is that it does seem to contain the beginnings of a concept of conservation of mass. The change in form will have the same mass, as the substance has not changed significantly. The question is whether there was an idea that in a change of substance, the resultant substances have the same mass as the original object....
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Simon Thomas made a comment
When a piece of wood burns, it turns from wood to ash and smoke. This is a change in matter. A red apple turning brown is both a change in matter and form, but mostly form I suppose. Although the brown apple is squashy, it is probably still recognisable as apple.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Astronomy is based not only on observation and the formation of a model (as is astrology) but also on prediction, leading to the model being tested. If the prediction is wrong, the model needs to be changed. If, as in the case of astrology, the prediction is wrong but the model isn't changed, the subject is no longer a science.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Hi, I'm Simon. My background is in medicine (orthopaedic surgery in particular) but also with a strong interest in other sciences and philosophy. I also dabble in history and archaeology. I spent my childhood in the US, but my parents are English (where I went to secondary school) and I have lived in Scotland for the last 30 years.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I am very much a logical person, but like most people am affected by emotion, and usually try to keep it out of the decision-making process, but not always successfully! I do think it is important to recognise when emotion begins to drive that process. I work in a hospital, where there is often a stark contrast between the two approaches- when dealing with an...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I'm interested to learn more about the family aspect of a clan, as while a genetic relationship does form the basis for most of the members, in many cases there is none.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Hi all, I love history and live in Scotland. Although I was born here, I left at an early age, and moved back in adulthood, giving me a bit of an outsider's feel for the country, while still regarding myself as Scottish. I am hoping to create a podcast about Scottish history and am still in the preparation stages (stuck in prehistory at the moment!) but I...
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It would be great to add loads of detail like this, but once you go back a few generations, the number of relatives would be huge and the time demand enormous. I think if you were interested in a single relative that would be worth while, but unfortunately I just don't think I would have the time to try and create a "complete and contextual" family tree....
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I think the arguments can be summarised like this:
P1: the production/farming of animal products can cause suffering to animals and loss of biodiversity/wildlife population
P2: (implied) we should not cause suffering to animals
P3: (implied) loss of biodiversity and animal population is badso C: we should not eat animal products
I believe this...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I have regular arguments with my children on this matter. In my view, they are very absolute in their ethics, and anyone who disagrees with their beliefs is "wrong" and "bad". Example- discussion about Thomas Jefferson. Until recently regarded as a pretty smart person, to be admired for his political achievements. I think most people would agree that today we...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
In reality, I think accepted ethics ends up decided by the majority of the people, most of whom do not exhibit the skills outlined above. Ethicists and philosophers can argue until they are blue in the face that a particular action is wrong, but if the majority of the people (many of whom may be using fallacious or contradictory arguments) disagree it is...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Doesn't this just shift the goalposts? I understand that we can't state a moral conclusion without a moral premise, but that just makes the moral premise the moral conclusion of a different argument. For any valid moral argument, at some point there needs to be an accepted moral premise. A bit like a basic axiom in maths. Therefore, if you simply say that...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Sometimes it can be difficult to read handwriting- or there will be spelling mistakes. I find this is a particular problem with automated searches, eg Ancestry.com where a name isn't registered because the spelling was ne letter out, or a letter is mistaken.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I'm Simon- I've done some research via Ancestry.co.uk and found some interesting results, but I'm keen to take things further. Most of the info seems to be mainly based on UK census results, which are good, but limited to certain years. Very keen to learn some new techniques.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Interpretation of law is often a subjective exercise, albeit with as much objectivity applied as possible. However, certain relevant factors will not have an absolute truth eg. social practices, tradition, regional religion, etc. (For instance, such practices as slavery and anti-homosexuality and legal discrimination against women were once generally regarded...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Possible scientific- in society we are often conditioned not to stand out. Look at the extreme embarrassment that many teenagers feel when something happens which draws attention to them, or trends in fashion whereby people tend to adopt clothing or hairstyles similar to those around them. Left-handed people may be marked out as different from the start, in a...
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Thanks for the links- very interesting.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Of course, just because it isn't "scientific", or a bad hypothesis due to untestability, doesn't mean it isn' true.
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Simon Thomas replied to Peter Oxley
I understand that it seemed to be a large section given to one event, but I do think it was worthwhile, as an in-depth study of what happened when Europeans met Americans and how the former came out on top. Also, it was quite interesting in its own right, given the very brief (and slightly misleading) story that most of us know.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
We now know that in most other terms (of advance of civilisation) the indigenous Americans were far more advanced than they are usually credited with in terms of the complexity of their society, and the size of their settlements and architecture. (and certainly more than the Spanish, or later Europeans credited them). There were 2 significant disadvantages-...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
It's an understandable conclusion for the Spaniards to come to. They came, they saw, they conquered, against an enormous numerical disadvantage. Although the use of gunpowder constituted a significant technological advantage, it wasn't the be-all and end-all. We overestimate the importance of guns and cannon in warfare at the time- they weren't that accurate,...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I think the most telling factor (which usually goes unrecognised) is the civil war they started. The technology certainly kicked things off (literally, with a bang) and ensured they would not be defeated quickly, but given that the conquest actually took a year or two, it would not have been possible without the numerous tribes fighting on their behalf, the...
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Simon Thomas replied to Brigitte Wareham
@BrigitteWareham Excellent link- thanks for that. It nicely fleshes out the issue.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
The picture painted of the Aztecs being so submissive and acquiescing to the Spanish doesn't ring true with me. A proud warrior people are unlikely to be so obsequious or quick to dispense with their own religion and rituals, or even to accept the Spanish as being in some way more the "original people" who had a greater idea of the truth. Either this is...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I had no idea how long Cortez had been in the Caribbean before the Aztec expedition. Presumably he had managed to gain a fair bit of knowledge about the Aztecs and local politics. Also, it was very interesting to read how long it took him to cross the land to Tenochtitlan, and also how long the conquest lasted. I think the popular impression is of a fairly...
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I agree, we have interpreted P1 differently. It was stated "If fish are mammals, then they’re warm-blooded" which could be interpreted that only mammals are warm-blooded (in which case your counter example of birds shows the argument to be non-valid). In fact, the way it is worded is not that the mammalian state depends on warm-bloodiness, but the other way...
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Ah, but premise 2 wasn't "all mammals and only mammals are warm-blooded". Your premise "birds are also warm-blooded" is irrelevant (it would only be relevant if we were considering the argument that fish were birds) and therefore has been pruned!
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Simon Thomas replied to Vrinda Suresh
P1: comments are requested after each element of a critical thinking course
P2: Beneath a video featuring Patrick (and no-one else) a comment is made about a scary face
C: the scary face refers to PatrickA non-deductive argument, strong because there are no counter-examples (no other faces in videos have featured for a while) and there is an immediate...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Example 6.
P1: It is likely that NZ will never have a really good Winter Olympic (WO) Team
P2: [There is no point in entering a competition if you don't have a really good team]
therefore
C: It is a waste of time for NZ to enter the WOI think this is a non-deductive argument, which is strong but with false premises so the argument is bad. Both...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Example 1:
P1: all mammals are warm-blooded
P2: fish are not warm blooded
therefore
C: fish are not mammalsAlthough there are some mammals that might challenge P1 ("warm-blooded" isn't a biological definition, and there is some fuzziness around the edges- Arctic ground squirrels allow their body temp to go below freezing) but using Charity, I believe...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
I think you've just critiqued your argument (about the Arab North African countries) in the previous page, Patrick!
Nice addition of the Aukland vista- the NZ tourism board would be proud!
In the theatre example, I think that not only was the argument pruned by removal of the irrelevant premises, but it was also demonstrated to be deductive, and so it...
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Simon Thomas replied to Ken Franklin
There was an uprising in Iran at the time of the Arab Spring, but it didn't last.
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Simon Thomas made a comment
Again, as so often, it seems to come down to the minutiae of language. In this instance, the use of "North African" or "Arab" where one of the countries in the list don't fit that definition. As pointed out, the actual crux of the argument seems to be strong and cogent, if we just substitute the words "North African Arab nation" with "Islamic country in the...
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Simon Thomas made a comment
It's a bit mind-numbing to remember the difference between "cogent", "valid", "logical" and "good" because all these words are virtual synonyms in most people's every day speech, but take on very specific meaning in critical thinking.
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Simon Thomas replied to Vrinda Suresh
A bit harsh to refer to Patrick as a scary face!
