Self-study
Waller: Conclusion If there were really such a thing as extrasensory perception, it would generally be accepted by the public since Support anyone with extrasensory powers would be able to convince the general public of its existence by clearly demonstrating those powers. ███████ ██████ ███ ███ ██████████ ██ ████ ████ ██████ █████ ███████ ██████ ███ ███████
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What Each Speaker Is Saying
Waller argues that if ESP were real, anyone with those powers could clearly demonstrate them to the general public, which would lead to widespread acceptance (and wealth and renown for the person who demonstrated them). Waller's implicit point is that since the general public hasn't accepted ESP, that's evidence that ESP isn't real.
Chin pushes back. Chin argues that you can't demonstrate anything to the satisfaction of all skeptics, and that the cultural elite's closed-mindedness toward ESP shapes media coverage, which in turn shapes public opinion. In Chin's view, public disbelief in ESP doesn't mean ESP isn't real. It just means the deck is stacked against ESP in terms of how the public forms its opinions.
Anticipation
Waller and Chin disagree about what the public's failure to believe in ESP tells us. Waller treats public disbelief as meaningful evidence. If ESP were real, the public would know about it. So the fact that the public doesn't believe in it counts against its existence. Chin thinks public disbelief is influenced by media bias and closed-minded elites, which means it's not a reliable indicator about whether ESP actually exists.
14.
Waller's and Chin's statements commit ████ ██ ███████████ ██ ███████
a
extrasensory perception is █ ████ ██████████
Is extrasensory perception a real phenomenon?
Waller: ❓/❌Chin: ❓
Waller's argument implies skepticism about ESP, but he never outright states that ESP isn't real. His argument is structured as a hypothetical: he's reasoning about what would happen if ESP existed. As for Chin, she never states whether she believes ESP is real. She's focused on explaining why the public doesn't believe in it, which is compatible with believing it's real or being unsure. Since neither speaker commits to a position on whether ESP actually exists, we can't say this is a point of disagreement.
b
extrasensory perception, if ██ ████ █ ████ ███████████ █████ ██ ████████████ ██ ███ ████████████ ██ ███ ████████
Could ESP, if real, be demonstrated to the satisfaction of all skeptics?
Waller: ❓Chin: ❌
This is a tempting trap. Chin clearly disagrees with (B), since she says you can't demonstrate anything to all skeptics. But what about Waller? Waller claims that someone with ESP powers could convince the general public. That's not the same as convincing all skeptics. You can convince the general public of something while still failing to convince every single skeptic. Since Waller never commits to the idea that ESP could satisfy all skeptics, we can't say this is a point of disagreement.
c
skeptics about extrasensory ██████████ ████ █ ████ ████
Do skeptics about ESP have a weak case?
Waller: ❓Chin: ❓
Neither speaker evaluates the strength of the skeptics' case. Waller's argument is about what would happen if ESP were real, not about whether skeptics have good or bad reasons for doubting it. Chin criticizes the cultural elite for being closed-minded, but calling someone closed-minded isn't the same as saying their case is weak. Chin's point is about how media and public opinion get shaped, not about the quality of the skeptics' arguments.
d
the failure of ███ ███████ ██████ ██ ███████ ██ ████████████ ██████████ ██ ████ ████████ ███████ ███ █████████
Is the general public's failure to believe in ESP good evidence against its existence?
Waller: ✅Chin: ❌
Waller would agree. His whole argument rests on the idea that if ESP were real, someone would demonstrate it and the public would accept it. That means he thinks if the public fails to accept ESP, that's evidence it isn't real.
Chin would disagree. According to Chin, the public is always biased in favor of skeptics of ESP. To her, the public's disbelief doesn't tell us anything meaningful about whether ESP exists. In Chin's view, the public's skepticism is a product of media bias, not a reliable evidence against ESP.
e
the general public ████████ ████ ████████████ ██████████ ██ █ ████ ██████████
Does the general public believe that ESP is a real phenomenon?
Waller: ❌/❓Chin: ❌
Both speakers seem to agree that the general public does not believe in ESP. Waller's argument treats the public's acceptance of ESP as something that hasn't happened yet (it would be accepted if ESP were real). And Chin's argument explains why the public doesn't believe in it, pointing to media bias and closed-minded elites. Since both speakers appear to share the view that the public doesn't currently accept ESP, there's no disagreement here.