Validity, Analogy, and the Holy Grail

Teaching Philosophy 26 (1):43-56 (2003)
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Abstract

This paper explains how a five minute-segment from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” can be an effective pedagogical tool for distinguishing validity from soundness and for explaining several other concepts relevant to critical thinking courses. After viewing the “We’ve found a witch” scene, students are given a transcript of the sketch and asked to put arguments into a valid form. Once these arguments have been represented, students are charged with determining whether the argument is sound and, if unsound, with determining which of the premises is controversial. The author argues that using this segment has a number of pedagogical benefits as it encourages real live critical thinking, can be used to teach additional critical thinking concepts (e.g. reasoning with analogies), and can help students be more cautious about making over-reaching claims in their own arguments.

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