Question

3. A farmer makes the following observation and remark, "Whenever the clouds gather at the Eastern side of the hill, it rains. We have to leave the farm now and head

home because the clouds have gathered at the Eastern side of the hill. It will certainly rain soon". Answer the questions that follow:
a. Is the farmer's advice based on an empirical generalization or a normative law? Explain your answer.
b. Would you consider the farmer's method of arriving at his conclusion a scientific method or not? Explain why?
c. Cite and explain any three other such reasoning pattern that is akin to the farmer's method of reasoning. Refer to examples that can be found in academic
disciplines like Economics, Sociology, biology, physics, psychology, political science, law, etc to make your point.

Answer 1

Answer: (a) The farmer's advice is based on an empirical generalization.

(b) No, the method of arriving at the farmer's conclusion is not scientific.

(c) Analogical Reasoning, Abductive reasoning, and Cause-and-effect reasoning.

Explanation: (a) The farmer's advice is based on an empirical generalization, and not on a normative law because the situation cited that it will rain when the clouds gather is not a universal in nature. The logic behind it being true is not necessary.

(b) The farmer's method of arriving at the conclusion is not scientific because the occurrence of the phenomenon is not guarantied. There are other factors which also effect the situation.

(c) Analogical reasoning refers to the pattern of reasoning which is based on similar characteristics found between two or more things.

Abductive reasoning refers to the type of reasoning where one refers to a set of observations to arrive at a certain conclusion.

Cause-and-effect reasoning refers to the reasoning developed with linkage between two events.