Nodes on the Stayt of Vurjinya

Many of the ideas that Thomas Jefferson pushed in the late 18th century as our fledgling country expanded tended to have a very "Do as I say, not as I do" approach. Jefferson, just like everyone else, was very human in that he knew what was best for both him and his country, but did not really want to change his actions in order to achieve these goals. Just like a vast amount of our nations' founding fathers, Jefferson at times showed a desire to end slavery, but he wanted this to take place well after he had died. Also, before declaring Jefferson a hypocrite bastard for what he wrote in the Declaration of Independence despite his slave ownership, one must remember that hindsight is 20/20 and that many things in today's society that are totally unacceptable were considered in Jefferson's time to just be "how life worked", such as challenging people to duels, wearing stupid powdered white wigs, and even owning slaves. I'm not trying to absolve Jefferson from his wrongdoings throughout his life. All I'm saying is that Jefferson was really no different as far as hypocrisy than the other prominent politicians of his era and should be looked upon as such.

Alger Cruise

In the story of Steven Cruz, we find a man who has risen through company ranking and has received high praise from his peers. However, Cruz is judged based on his accomplishments compared to other members of his race, who have been stereotyped to not be as successful or as hard working. This makes Cruz fairly unsatisfied with his situation, and even though he has achieved many things, he does not attribute them to his work, but rather to his race.
This is quite a contrast to the ideas presented in "Ragged Dick"by Horatio Alger. Alger's position is that with hard work and perseverance, anyone can achieve great things in America. However, Cruz's situation contrasts in the way that his position was not earned or judged on merit alone. Although this does not make him unworthy of his position in any way, it does present the fact that the world is not judged on an even plane and in some places, there will be biases that put some at an advantage over others.

Veejooal Arguments

Visual arguments are by far the greatest influencing form of argument in existence. Nothing gets across a message like a good, impactful picture of whatever you happen to be talking about that. I remember going through drivers ed back in the day, and the class was extremely boring. I would sleep through all the teacher's lectures. I would skim the text to see if there was anything interesting, which there never was. However, one day I came to class and a video was shown of a man my teacher called "Mr Applesauce Face." If you haven't guessed. Mr Applesauce Face was a man who was not as careful as he should have been when he was driving, and as a result was found barely alive in his wreckage with a head that looked like, well, applesauce. This alone has made me a safer driver as well as totally convincing me of the power of Visual arguments.

Toulim

The statement on page 88 stating “real-world arguments seldom prove anything” is referring to how the basis of argument is not truly rooted in the real world. This is because, as Aristotle said, there is no real truth in our world. We have to create our own truth. Therefore, when trying to find the truth, it will not be discovered in our real world. Real world arguments are only able to find patterns and semi-truths about our world, which will never be the actual truth.
This having been said, that does not mean that real world arguments are totally useless. Strong factual reason is a very important part of how we argue, and this comes from our ability to use this factual reason in real world arguments. However, this still does not "prove" anything, rather it strengthens our ability to reason.

Soodow Arguments

A pseudo-argument actually isn't very much of an argument at all. It usually is between two parties that are either unable or unwilling to express their side of the "argument" in terms that can actually relate to anything. The parties would rather defend their arguments with quips such as "because I said so." This reminds me of my puny little second grade arguments with my friends, which would always involve one person saying one of the following: "I know you are but what am I?", "I am rubber. You are glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you!", and my personal favorite, "Oh yeah? Well.... Your Mom!!!" Obviously none of these got anybody anywhere, and as with pseudo-arguments, neither a consensus nor a resolution would ever come about, rendering the whole concept of pseudo arguments absolutely useless.

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Biotech Foood

As a rabid consumer of lots and lots of food, I tend to ignore the ingredients on the package and head straight for the goodness on the inside. Because of this, I would definitely not feel comfortable with genetically modified food to only mention its genetic modification in small type near the nutrition facts and all that other crap. I need a big, fat, easy to read sticker on the front that says THIS HAS BEEN GENETICALLY MODIFIED. I don't care if this has the potential affect the sales. I just want to know whether or not someone's been screwing around with my food or not. However, I do see the point of view of the companies producing the food. If I had food that I genetically modified, I wouldn't neccesarily feel the need to boldly broadcast that kind of information. But being the consumer with the voracious appetite that I am, I would much rather have the food company take a hit in their pocketbook than have me take a hit in my genetically modified stomach.