Category Archives: Riddles

Riddle: Hidden Premise

Posted on April 8, 2015 by davidbdale

While you’re working on revisions for your research paper (largely dependent on stating and proving your premises), I want to offer this illustration of an argument that fails because it suppresses an essential premise. This ad from the ACLU (American … Continue reading →

Posted in David Hodges, davidbdale, Professor Post, Riddles, Writing Lessons | 9 Comments

My Counterintuitive Weekend

Posted on April 6, 2015 by davidbdale

Counterintuitive Weekend Now that we’ve passed the halfway point of the course and you’ve completed your short arguments, you’ll be trying to find a way to massage all your material into a fresh and compelling—with any luck counterintuitive!—argument. This feels … Continue reading →

Posted in David Hodges, davidbdale, Professor Post, Riddles | 15 Comments

Card Puzzle

Posted on March 30, 2015 by davidbdale

FACT: Each card has a number on one side and a letter on the other. THESIS: Every card that has a vowel on one side has an even number on its opposite side. REBUTTAL: Which card or cards must you … Continue reading →

Posted in David Hodges, davidbdale, Professor Post, Riddles | 18 Comments

Riddle: What’s Denied?

Posted on April 3, 2014 by davidbdale

Assertion When several things are asserted, the author is presumed to have individually asserted each of them, not necessarily the sum total of them. For example: The prosecutor asserts that the defendant, a Mr Sweeney Todd, born and raised in … Continue reading →

Posted in David Hodges, Professor Post, Riddles | 11 Comments