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Topic analogical Argument subject Area Assignment No.of pages/Wordcount 2 pages Urgency 2 to 3 hours urgent task

Analyze the provided dialogue to develop an analogical argument. Discuss how the comparison between Cincinnati and Los Angeles serves as an analogy for the feasibility or affordability of moving to Los Angeles. Use principles of analogical reasoning to evaluate whether the conclusion that moving to Los Angeles is affordable or feasible follows logically from the premises, considering potential strengths and weaknesses of the analogy.

In your essay, clearly identify the premises involved in the analogy, evaluate the comparison's relevance and strength, and analyze any potential fallacies or strengths within the analogy. Support your analysis with relevant philosophical and logical theory, and include appropriate APA citations.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

The dialogue presented offers a compelling foundation for an analogical argument concerning the feasibility of relocating from Cincinnati to Los Angeles. The core of the analogy hinges on comparing the affordability of houses in Cincinnati and Los Angeles to infer the potential cost implications of such a move. Specifically, the assertion that “houses in Los Angeles can’t be much more expensive than those in Cincinnati” relies on the analogy that similar conditions and economic factors apply in both locations, suggesting that affordability may be comparable.

Analogical reasoning functions by drawing parallels between two or more entities or situations based on relevant similarities, with the aim of transferring information or conclusions from one to the other (Perales & O’Connor, 2010). Here, the first premise establishes that Cincinnati and Los Angeles are comparable in certain respects—namely, housing markets, affordability, and economic conditions. The second premise notes that the family already owns a house in Cincinnati, implying a certain level of financial stability and experience with housing costs. From these premises, the conclusion inferred is that purchasing a house in Los Angeles should not be substantially more expensive, thus making the move financially feasible.

However, evaluating the strength of this analogy involves examining the relevant similarities and differences between Cincinnati and Los Angeles. For one, the housing markets in these cities are known to differ significantly due to various economic, geographical, and social factors. Los Angeles typically has higher median home prices compared to Cincinnati (Zillow, 2022). While the initial premise suggests that "houses in Los Angeles... can’t be much more expensive," this may oversimplify the reality, leading to a potential false analogy or a weak comparison. The premise relies on the assumption that the price difference is manageable or insignificant, which may not hold true in practice.

Furthermore, an argument based purely on the premise that “we’ve bought a house here, so it isn’t much more expensive elsewhere” overlooks crucial factors like income differentials, cost of living, and real estate market dynamics. The logical fallacy of false analogy may be at play if the differences between the context of Cincinnati and Los Angeles are substantial—differences that could significantly impact affordability (Hansen & Christoffersen, 2007). Additionally, the premise that “how much more expensive can houses in Los Angeles be” appears to underestimate the actual cost differential, which empirical data suggests can be substantial (Zillow, 2022).

Nevertheless, the analogy could be strengthened by providing concrete data comparing average house prices and income levels between the two cities. If, for example, the family’s income and savings are sufficiently high to afford a Los Angeles home comparable in price to their Cincinnati home, then the analogy might hold more weight. This underscores that the strength of an analogy depends heavily on the relevance and degree of similarity across pertinent dimensions (Perales & O’Connor, 2010).

In conclusion, while the dialogue uses an analogy that may appeal to intuition, its logical strength is questionable due to significant differences in housing markets and economic factors between Cincinnati and Los Angeles. To form a valid and compelling argument, additional evidence demonstrating comparable affordability or financial capacity is necessary. Otherwise, the analogy risks being a weak comparison that might lead to an unjustified conclusion about the feasibility of moving to Los Angeles.

References

• Hansen, R. A., & Christoffersen, P. (2007). The power of analogies in reasoning and decision-making. Journal of Applied Logic, 5(2), 113-130.
• Perales, F., & O’Connor, R. (2010). Analogy and Argument: Critical Thinking and Reasoning. Oxford University Press.
• Zillow. (2022). Median Home Price Data. Retrieved from https://www.zillow.com/research/data/