Sequential Problem Solving | Page 7

to me.
In my opinion.
4. Statements using the emphatic "to be" words. Is, are, was, were, etc.
are often facts that can be proven either true or false, but are not
necessarily as true as the "is" implies.

He is a genius.
For the purpose of gathering information in problem solving, facts are
statements that can be readily verified as true or false; opinions cannot
be quickly verified. In problem solving, the practical ability to prove
something true without a great deal of effort is the key to practical truth.
A statement that might merely hold the possibility of being proven true
is, for all practical purposes, an opinion until it is proven true.
* * * * *
Deductive Reasoning Errors
Deductive reasoning [9] is stating a series of valid relationships with a
conclusion about them:
When it rains the streets get wet. It is raining. Therefore the streets are
wet.
Several types of reasoning fallacies exist: (1) formal deductive fallacies,
which occur because of an error in the form of the argument, and (2)
informal fallacies that contain false content.
The informal false content fallacies are listed in Appendix 4 and
include:
Logic errors.
* The "straw man" deception.
* The "false dilemma" deception.
* The "domino theory" deception.
* The "two wrongs make a right fallacies" deception.
Emotional errors.
* The "attack the speaker" diversion.

* The "commonly accepted practice" deception.
* The "appeal to pity" tactic.
* The "infallible truth or cliche" deception.
The emotional tactics often include cynicism or sarcasm and are
sometimes used to belittle another person. The effect is to make them
feel worthless and unloved. This is an emotional fallacy that attacks a
person's need for love and belonging.10 This is discussed in greater
detail in the section on Internal conflicts.
Sometimes debaters attempt to evade answering an argument using the
"red herring" diversion. This tactic was named for game poachers that
used a strong smelling fish to mask their scent from dogs used by game
wardens trying to apprehend them. This tactic introduces another issue
that diverts the discussion. It is often logically unrelated to the issue,
and is often an emotional attack directed at the other person.
* * * * *
Practical Problem Solving
1. Beyer, Barry K. "Developing a Scope and Sequence for Thinking
Skills Instruction." Educational Leadership 45(April 1988): 26-30.
2. A Committee of College and University Examiners. "Educational
Objectives and Curriculum Development." _Taxonomy of Educational
Objectives -- Handbook 1: The Cognitive Domain_. Benjamin S.
Bloom, ed. New York: David McKay Company, Inc., 1956.
3. A Committee of College and University Examiners. "Educational
Objectives and Curriculum Development." _Taxonomy of Educational
Objectives -- Handbook 2: The Affective Domain_. Benjamin S.
Bloom, ed. New York: David McKay Company, Inc., 1956.
4. "The Galileo Affair," Owen Gingerick, American Scientific, August,
1982, #247, p.132-138.

5. Aristotle. Rhetoric and the Poetics. F. Solmsen, ed. New York: The
Modern Library, 1954
6. _Critical Thinking and Reasoning: a handbook for Teachers_.
Albany: SUNY, 1976.
7. "Classifying Fallacies Logically", Ludwig F. Schlecht, Teaching
Philosophy, March, 1991, 14:1, p.53-65
8. Maslow, A. H. Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper and
Row, 1954.
9. _Critical Thinking and Reasoning: A Handbook for Teachers_.
Albany: The University of the State of New York, 1976.
10. Maslow, A. H. Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper and
Row, 1954.
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Developing a Solution.
Developing solutions should take into account time, material and
manpower. How much time is available to solve a problem? Are the
materials available? Is the manpower available?

Time.
How much time is available? Often problems are best solved by using
"Kentucky windage." Artillery gunners use the expression, "One over,
one under, one dead center." This refers to making gross adjustments
rather than walking a solution toward a problem one small step at a
time. This technique has also been called "Eliminating the extremes":
walking toward the center from either end, half way at a time. This
technique reduces the time required to solve a problem in a binary
fashion by halves, rather than in arithmetic progression one small step
at a time.

Often the first solutions tried don't work. We may learn more facts
about problems as we try to solve them. Many times a problem requires
re-defining and the entire nature of the solution changes from one trial
to the next. In science, every experiment is valuable because what is
disproven is as valuable as the final solution. A disproven solution
reduces the possibilities by providing answers about what is not
possible.
We need to take into account problems that will arise. It is useful to
double or triple the initial time estimate when beginning new projects.
It is prudent to plan on finishing the job in one-third to one-half of the
time we would like to finish the