Week 8 Discussion — Real Choice or False Dilemma? — Traditional alternative (no AI)
Instructors: publish this instead of the adaptive version if you prefer, and unpublish or delete the adaptive one.
Hook
An either-or can be honest: a claim is either true or false, and there is no third choice. An either-or can also hide the options it leaves out, and then the whole argument rests on an assumption nobody defended. Telling the two apart in a real case takes every tool from the first half of the course, which is why cases like these are discussed rather than keyed.
Your discussion question — choose Option A or Option B; they carry the same weight and the same rubric, and you say which you picked.
Option A: The running question asks whether the campus library should stay open around the clock during finals week (illustrative). At a campus forum, a speaker says: "Either the library stays open all night during finals, or students who study late will end up in places that are not quiet or safe." Put the speaker's argument in standard form, write the either-or as its own premise, and argue whether it is a false dilemma, a real two-option choice, or something in between. Say what evidence about the campus would settle whether a third option exists, and keep your judgment about the either-or apart from any view about the library itself.
Option B: Choose one either-or or one loaded question you have met in your own life: a sales pitch, a form, a sign, a group chat, a coach, or a workplace message (no politicians, parties, campaigns, or news outlets, and no one's real name). Write the hidden assumption as a supplied premise, and argue whether the remark commits a fallacy of presumption or offers a fair choice or a fair question. Say what fact would have to be true for the remark to be fair.
There is no single right answer about where a fair either-or ends and a false dilemma begins in a case like these. What the course settles is the test: write the hidden assumption out, mark it supplied, and ask what supports it. A false dilemma often has a valid shape, so the work is deciding whether its either-or premise is supported, and saying so in words. Pick the option you actually care about, and make your case.
Expectations
Activity format: one initial post followed by two substantive peer replies. Plan on about 45 minutes across the two deadlines; your instructor sets both due dates in Canvas.
Your initial post — by the first due date (early in the module week):
- Say which option you chose.
- For Option A, write the speaker's argument in standard form with the either-or as its own premise, and say whether that premise is supported. For Option B, describe the remark in your own words and write its hidden assumption as a supplied premise.
- Say in one sentence whether the remark commits a fallacy of presumption, offers a fair choice or a fair question, or does some of each, and what fact would settle it.
- Use at least two of this week's terms (fallacy of presumption, false dilemma, begging the question, loaded question, supplied premise, standard form, valid, false premise) correctly.
- Length: roughly 150–250 words if written. You may instead record your post as audio or video (about two minutes) and attach a transcript; both forms are scored by the same rubric.
- Write from your own reasoning, in your own words, and keep real people's names and live political questions out of your examples.
Your replies — by the second due date (the end of the module week):
- Reply substantively to at least two classmates.
- A substantive reply does more than agree: offer a third option a classmate missed, give a reason the two options really are the only two, or ask what fact would settle the judgment. "Nice post!" on its own does not count.
What a strong post looks like:
I chose Option A. In standard form: P1: Either the library stays open all night during finals, or late studiers end up in places that are not quiet or safe. P2 (supplied): The campus should not leave late studiers in places that are not quiet or safe. So, C: The library should stay open all night during finals. The weight sits on P1. It assumes the library is the only quiet, safe place that could stay open late, which is what the newsletter's P2 claims, so whether this is a false dilemma depends on a fact about this campus, such as whether another building could stay open instead.
Notice how it writes the either-or out, finds where the weight sits, and then names the fact that would settle it. That is the bar.
Participation rubric
This discussion is worth 10 points. The three criteria below look at your initial post and your peer replies.
| Criterion | Full credit | Partial credit | No credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality of the initial post (4 pts) | The argument or remark is set out fairly, its hidden assumption is written as a supplied premise, and the judgment is said in words with its reason | A judgment appears, but the hidden assumption is never written out or the reason is missing | Missing, off-topic, or no judgment |
| Use of course concepts (3 pts) | Uses standard form, supplied premise, fallacy of presumption, false dilemma, loaded question, or begging the question precisely, and keeps a flaw in the reasoning apart from a false premise | Uses a term loosely, or calls every either-or a false dilemma without saying why | No course terms, or used incorrectly |
| Engagement with peers (3 pts) | Two or more substantive replies that offer a missed third option, give a reason no third option exists, or ask what fact would settle a classmate's judgment | One substantive reply, or replies that only agree | No replies, or "I agree" with nothing added |
Post early if you can — the best threads happen when people have time to reply before the second due date.
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