Session_3_HANDOUT

Session 3: Further identifying arguments and non-

arguments

Practice 1: (1 position, 2 agreements, 1 disagreement and 2 arguments)

?Genetic engineering really worries me. I don't think it should be allowed.

?I know a lot about this subject and I agree with you.

?Genetic engineering should be curtailed because there hasn't been sufficient research into what happens when new varieties are created without natural predators to hold them in check.

?I don't know much about genetic engineering but I agree with you.

?That doesn't convince me. I think genetic engineering is really exciting.

Activity I

The solar system is an inhospitable place not just for humans but also for machines. Despite this, over 8000 satellites and spacecraft were launched into space from more than 30 countries between 1957 and 2004. Over 350 people have hurtled through space, not all returning to earth. Launch sites based near the equator, such as that at Kourou in Guyana, enable rockets to make best use of the earth's rotation.

Newborn babies may lack the capacity to monitor their own breathing and body-temperature during the first three months of life. Babies who sleep alongside their mothers could benefit from learning to regulate their breathing and sleeping, following the rhythm of the parent. These babies wake more frequently than those who sleep alone. Moreover, mothers who sleep next to their babies are better able to monitor their child for movement during the night. Consequently, it may be safer for newborn babies to sleep with their parent.

The article outlined the difference between individual yawns and infectious yawning. It referred particularly to research by Professor Platek, which suggests that only humans and great apes yawn sympathetically. The article went on to say that people who yawn more easily in response to other people's yawns are also more likely to be good at inferring other people's states of mind. Finally, the article indicates some social benefits of yawning, suggesting that contagious yawning might have helped groups to synchronize their behavior.

The village was located near the outer reaches of the city. The city was starting to encroach upon it, swallowing it up, road by road. It would not be long before the village disappeared altogether, to become part of the huge conurbation forming on the Eastern seaboard. To the west, hills enclosed the village, trapping it between the city and the mountains beyond. A single road led out from the city, through the village and into the mountains.

Both of the toy mice were the same size and shape so the dog was confused. Although one mouse was red and one was blue, Misty was unable to tell which mouse was his toy simply by looking. Like other dogs, he needed to sniff them both, using his sense of smell to tell them apart, because he couldn't discriminate between different colors.

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona in Italy. At the beginning of the play, Romeo is pining for another young woman, but quickly falls for Juliet at a ball. Although their two families are hostile to each other, Romeo and Juliet enlist the services of their friends and a friar to bring about their marriage. Unfortunately, in a tragic turn of events, they each kill themselves, believing the other to be already dead.

There were many reasons why the student was an hour late for the seminar. First of all, a pan caught fire, causing a minor disaster in his kitchen. It took twenty minutes to restore order. Then, he couldn't find his house keys. That wasted another ten minutes of his time. Then, just as he closed the door behind him, the postwoman arrived, saying there was a parcel to be signed for. Her pen didn't work which held them up further. Finally, of course, he had to find his keys, which had once more slipped to the bottom of his bag, in order to re-open the door and place the letter on the table.

It was not until 2003 that the first Ice Age engravings of horses, red deer and bison were discovered at Cresswell Crags in Nottinghamshire, England. However, the oversight occurred partly because it was assumed that such work was not to be found in Britain. Indeed, in the initial survey of the cave, the experts did not notice the art that surrounded them.

The bas-relief images of horses, bison and red deer found in Cresswell Crags, England, bear remarkable similarities to those found in Germany. It is unlikely that two separate cultures would have produced drawing of such similarity if there were not links between them. This suggests that there were greater cultural links between continental Europe and Britain during the Ice Age than was formerly believed.

Recently, Ice Age specialists were excited to find evidence of some cultural links between Ice Age peoples across Europe. On a return visit to Cresswell Crags in England, they found images of horses, bison, and red deer similar to those already found in Germany. There is much controversy about other figures found on cave walls, which some experts believe to be images of dancing women, whereas others remain unconvinced.

Activity II:

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Is there anyone out there?

In some countries, the idea that there is life on other planets would make people laugh or sneer. In others, the inhabitants not only believe in life elsewhere in the universe but make efforts to communicate with it. There are certainly doubters and believers on this issue. One traditional argument for the existence of extraterrestrial life, known as the plenitude theory, is that there are so many star systems in the universe that it is unlikely that only earth would bear intelligent life. Indeed, it could be considered the folly of human arrogance to think that we are the only intelligent life in all of space. Not so, argue those who subscribe to contingency theory. Their argument, and it is a compelling one, is that life is a happy accident, a serendipity. They claim that the processes which led to the evolution of life are so complicated that it is extraordinary they occurred even once. They consider it extremely unlikely that the same set of processes could ever occur again. Thus, we have very divergent theories on whether there i s life out there or not. It is unlikely that there is extraterrestrial life. For over 100 years, radio waves have been used to track space for signs of life and so far have uncovered nothing. If there was intelligent life out there, it is probable that we would have identified some sign of it by now. The most convincing current argument for extraterrestrial life comes from convergence theory. Convergence theory refers to situations when two different species are faced with a problem and independently arrive at the same solution. For example, both bats and birds evolved wings in order to fly. Similarly, octopus and squid have camera-like eyes. The species evolved separately, arriving at these adaptations independently. This suggests that although there may be infinite possibilities in the universe, nature tends to repeat itself. Morris (2004) has argued that where nature has produced something once, it is likely to produce it again. However, Morris himself recognizes that even the basic conditions for life may be rare in the universe. Nature may be willing but the conditions might not be right. I t is probable that the exacting conditions required for life are unlikely to be found more than once. It is unlikely that other planets will be exactly the right distance from their sun, with the right gravity, the right combination of chemicals and physics, with water and atmosphere. Although convergence theory indicates that nature tends to reproduce the same outcomes, and plenitude theory argues that the multiplicity of star systems increases the likelihood of extraterrestrial life, the arguments are not convincing. The conditions for life itself are so fragile and complex that it is remarkable that life occurred even once, much less that it could be repeated elsewhere.