Finding Hidden Assumptions

In this exercise, you have to look for hidden premises and complex arguments. As your text notes, “A hidden
premise is a premise that is implied, but not stated.” A complex argument is one that cannot “be expressed
in two premises and one conclusion,” and it is one “involving a network of premises and conclusions.”  
Your job in this exercise is to find the hidden premise in five of the arguments listed below: 1. Having great wealth is a worthy goal because it is difficult to attain and many famous people have
pursued it.  2. Low grades on a college transcript are a handicap in the job market, so teachers who grade harshly
are doing students a disservice.  3. The Bible can’t be relevant to today’s problems; it was written many centuries ago and is filled with
archaic phrasing.  4. It is dishonest to pretend to have knowledge one does not have, so plagiarism is more virtue than
vice. 5. The credit card habit promotes careless spending, particularly among young people. Therefore,
credit card companies should not be permitted to issue credit cards to anyone under age 21.  6. No one who ever attended this college achieved distinction after graduation. Marvin attends this
college. Therefore, Marvin will not achieve distinction after graduation.  7. Drug dealing should not be a crime because it does not directly harm others or force them to harm
themselves.  8. A mature person is self-directing, so parents who make all their children’s decisions for them are
doing their offspring a disservice.  9. There’s no point in attending Professor Drone’s class; all he does is lecture in a boring monotone.  10. Power must be evil because it can corrupt people.  11. If the theory of evolution is true, as scientific evidence overwhelmingly suggests, a human being is
nothing more than an ape.  12. Rock musicians are contributing to the decline of language by singing in a slurred, mumbling
manner.  13. If emphasis on error paralyzes effort, this college is paying my English professor to make it
impossible for me to learn English. 
EN3220: Module 4 Hidden Assumptions and Research
Exercise 4.1
Finding Hidden Assumptions
  2  
14. Nuclear power is a threat to world peace. Nuclear energy stations generate nuclear power. So
nuclear energy stations are a threat to world peace.  15. Lew Fairman is the best candidate for governor because he is in favor of the death penalty.  16. All religious authorities are concerned about the dangers of nuclear war. All politicians are
concerned about the dangers of nuclear war. Therefore, all politicians are religious authorities.  17. The government should undertake a comprehensive censorship program because censorship
eliminates undesirable books and films from the market.  18. If the Social Security system is further weakened, the elderly will have to fear poverty. Therefore, if
the Social Security system is not further weakened, the elderly will not have to fear poverty.  19. Challenging other people’s opinions is a sign of intolerance, so debating courses have no place on a
college campus.  20. It’s ridiculous to think that there will be fewer deaths if we ban handguns. Handguns don’t kill
people; people kill people.  21. The antiabortionists say that the fetus is human, but they have not proved it. Therefore, they have
no reasonable basis for opposing abortion.  22. We must either defeat communism or be defeated by it. To be defeated by communism is
unthinkable. Therefore, we must defeat communism. 23. There is no way that anyone can ever deserve to live better than her or his neighbors, so capitalism
is an immoral economic system.  24. If an expectant mother drinks, smokes, takes drugs, or fails to get proper rest, she may damage her
unborn child. Therefore, if an expectant mother does these things and her child is born with a defect
or ailment that can be traced to them, the mother should face criminal charges.  25. Custom is a form of folk wisdom. In some parts of the world, it is customary for “bride buyers” to
buy (or sometimes kidnap) young women from their parents and sell them to men looking for wives.
Even though we might find this practice distasteful, it would be morally wrong for us to object to
others practicing it. 
Submission Requirements:   Submit your responses for grading in a Microsoft Word document.
EN3220: Module 4 Hidden Assumptions and Research
Exercise 4.1
Finding Hidden Assumptions
  3  
 State the original argument from the text and the hidden premise—what is not said but is implied.
In 1–3 sentences, discuss if this is a complex argument and why. Rewrite the argument with the
hidden premise.   Adhere to Standard English grammar, spelling, and punctuation requirements.  Use 12-point Arial font and double-space.