A. Mechanics .
Your paper should be approximately 1000 words (a little less than 4 pages double spaced).
I will not accept papers longer than 1000 words.
Your paper needs a cover page that states your name, student number, and the number of words in the paper. Please put your name in the top right hand corner of the cover page.
Please double space your paper and leave adequate margins, so there will be room for comments and corrections.
B. Topic: Human Reasoning and the Laws of Logic
The topic will be: How do humans reason? Answering the following questions might help you organise your paper. Since 1000 words is a small paper and there is little room to work in, I urge you to focus on these questions.
1. What evidence does Pinker present to show that people are poor at reasoning according to the laws of logic and probability theory?
2. According to Pinker, what might explain this poor performance?
3. According to Pinker, what are reasons for believing that human intelligence depends on principles of logic and probability theory despite people's poor performance?
I am not interested in criticisms of the Pinker's view. All I want is a clear explanation of what he says on the topic of human reasoning.
You may use any sources, but there is no need to do outside research. A review of relevant points made in HMW (especially pp. 333-362) should be sufficient.
C. Grading
Your grade will be computed as an average of two grades: one on English,
and the other on Content.
English:
Have mistakes in spelling and grammar been avoided?
Is the vocabulary well chosen and the prose economical and graceful?
Content:
Did you directly address the questions asked on this assignment?
Are your comments relevant and well organized?
Is this work original with you?
D. Plagiarism
It is crucial that you do not construct your paper by "lifting" text from other sources without citing them. I consider any string of 7 words in a row that occur in anyone else's work outside quote marksprima facie evidence of plagiarism (copying). Plagiarism is a violation of the University Honor Code and will be treated according to the regulations in the Student Handbook. Write the paper using your own words and grammatical structures. One way to guarantee this is to write your paper from memory leaving your notes and sources aside during the composition process.
Some people try to avoid plagiarism by copying a text and then changing
every fourth word or so to stay legal. While I suppose this is not literal
plagiarism, it violates the spirit of the law. In any case, if you do this
you are very likely to get a poor grade in the rating on Content, since
the work will not appear original with you.