Ольга Кравцова - Английский язык для специальных и академических целей: Международные отношения и зарубежное регионоведение. Часть 1

A couple of weeks later the chief checked in again with the Weather Service. “Does it still look like a cold winter?” asked the chief.

Unit I. UK: from Empire to Democracy

Unit I. UK: from Empire to Democracy

“It sure does,” replied the meteorologist. “It looks like a very cold winter.” The chief advised the tribe to gather every scrap of wood they could find.

A couple of weeks later, the chief called the Weather Service again and asked how the winter was looking at that point. The meteorologists said, “We're now forecasting that it will be one of the coldest winters on record!” “Really!” said the chief. “How can you be so sure?”

The meteorologist replied, “The Indians are collecting wood like crazy!”

The chief's evidence for the need to stock more wood turns out to be that he was stocking more wood. Fortunately, he was using a circular saw.

***

The argument from respect for authority is one of our boss's favorite arguments. Citing authority to support your argument is no logical fallacy in and of itself; expert opinion is legitimate evidence alongside other evidence. What is fallacy is using respect for authority as the sole confirmation of your position, despite convincing evidence to the contrary.

Ted meets his friend Al and exclaims, “Al! I heard you died!”

“Hardly,” says Al, laughing, “As you can see I am very much alive.”

“Impossible,” says Ted. “The man who told me is much more reliable than you.”

What is always at play with arguments from authority is whom one accepts as a legitimate authority.

A man walks into a pet shop and asks to see the parrots.

The shop owner shows him the two beautiful ones out on the floor. “This one is $5,000 and the other is $10,000,” he says.

“Wow!” says the man. “What does the $5,000 one do?”

“This parrot can sing every aria Mozart wrote,” says the store owner.

“And the other?”

... “He sings entire Wagner's Ring cycle. There is another one out back for $30,000.”

“Holy moley1! What does he do?”

“Nothing that I've heard. But the other two call him ‘Maestro'”

/from Plato and a Platypus 2Walk into a Bar. Understanding philosophy through jokes' by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Penguin Books. London. 2008/

Expression of surprise утконос

1. Monarchy is the best form of government for Great Britain because Great Britain has always been a monarchy.

2. Monarchy is one of the oldest forms of government, which has become obsolete in most European countries. However, the British monarchy has survived and continually kept its position. Hence, the British monarchy has a greater capacity for adjustment.

3. Obama is a good communicator because he speaks effectively.

4. All empires eventually collapsed. The USA is an empire; therefore, it is certain to collapse, too.

5. In 2008 America elected their first non-white president. Given that black Americans were granted the right to vote before American women did, it appears natural to expect Hilary Clinton to win the next elections.

6. I can't call abstract painting art. Small wonder Nikita Khrushchev said it was sheer daubery.

7. The Bank of Russia let the ruble's exchange rate float freely and oil prices went down.

8. If drug trafficking were not illegal, then it would not be prohibited by the law.

9. When President Obama finally got his healthcare bill approved by Congress, the latter became predominately Republican.

10. Viability of a form of government depends on its capacity for change. If a government is capable of adapting to change it can outlive other forms. Monarchy is one of the oldest forms of government. The British monarchy has survived due to its adjustability to change. Therefore, the British monarchy is a viable form of government.

11. Fiscal austerity initiated by the Government in 2010 has produced recovery of the British economy.

12. If you ask your children what personal computer they're using, chances are they'll say an Apple II, which is a sound reason to think it is the leading computer in education.

13. It (Quebec's referendum in 1995) is like parents getting a divorce, and maybe the parent you don't like getting custody.

14. According to leading experts, the stalemate can last indefinitely.

15. According to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger Russian President Vladimir Putin should not be viewed as a new Hitler; every senior Russian that he ever met, including dissidents like Solzhenitsyn and Brodsky, looked at Ukraine as part of the Russian heritage.

Unit I. UK: from Empire to Democracy

Unit I. UK: from Empire to Democracy

Useful tips on how to write an effective essay are given in the Manual.

This unit offers practice in writing logical arguments in support of one's thesis statement.

Topic: The future of the British Monarchy

Thesis statement: Great Britain is most likely to retain the monarchy.

Why will the British keep the monarchy?

1. Britain has been a monarchy for centuries, only for a short while becoming a republic under Cromwell.

2. The British zealously preserve their traditions, be it Christmas pudding or afternoon tea. Having a monarch at the head of the state is one of them.

3. Monarchy gives a sense of continuity and security in the ever changing world.

4. The British monarch has a purely decorative function and thus does not contradict the democratic principles of government in Great Britain.

5. The British monarch is impartial, does not support any political party, hence, can give advice to whoever is head of the state at the moment.

6. Britain without a monarch will lose most of its attractiveness for tourists who bring millions to the country's budget.

7. The British monarch works endlessly as an ambassador and representative of the country.

8. The Crown consolidates the nation and strengthens the unity of the UK.

1. Is the age of either a form of governance or of a leader a sure sign of efficiency and effectiveness?

2. In what way does following traditions protect a country (in this case Great Britain) from calamities? 20 20 беды ?

3. How well do democratic principles coexist with monarchy? Does this combination work out for Great Britain?

4. Does the British monarch contribute to world peace and unity of nations (at least members of the former empire)?

5. Why should monarchy make a country (in this case Great Britain) more attractive to tourists?

6. Is the British monarch perceived by the Britons as ‘the father/mother of the whole nation'?

7. Do the British respect the monarch as a symbol or as a particular individual on the throne at a particular moment in the country's history?

8. In what way can the British monarch ‘shelter' the people from disturbing changes within the kingdom or the world at large?

9. Can you think of good analogies to prove that the British monarchy does have a future?

10. What facts and statistics can you provide to prove the reasons are valid? (e.g. find out how much the monarch costs the nation and how much she/he brings to the treasury).

Unit I. UK: from Empire to Democracy

US:

FROM DEMOCRACY TO EMPIRE?

THE ROAD MAP FOR UNIT II

PROJECT WORK

Compiling the Reader (for details see p. p. 79-80)

Stage 1

FRF

Finding articles on the issues raised in Unit 2 to be included in the Reader

Stage 2

Fi—P

Writing an abstract of the article chosen to present for peer reviewing

Stage 3

Writing a review of an article for the class to choose the best three for inclusion in the Reader

DEBATE: TRADING PLACES

Holding a debate on a politically relevant topic (for details see p. 78)

TERM PRESENTATION

Making a power point presentation based on one's analysis of an issue relevant to the topic “US: From Dempcracy to Empire?” (for details see p. 70)

1. Can you explain the difference between the notions “formal empire” (the Roman model) and “informal empire” (the Athens model)? Which of them is appropriate for the modern world?

2. Is the United States, in your view, an empire? Give your reasoning.

HEIR TO THE BRITISH EMPIRE (Based on Conclusion Chapter from Empire. How Britain Made the Modern World by Niall Ferguson.

Penguin books LTD, London, 2004)

What lessons can the United States today draw from the British experience of empire? The obvious one is that the most successful economy in the world — as Britain was for the most of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries — can do a very great deal to impose its preferred values on less technologically advanced societies. It is nothing short of astonishing that Great Britain was able to govern so much of the world without running up an especially large defence bill. To be precise, Britain's defence expenditure averaged little more than three per cent of net national product between 1870 and 1913, and it was lower for the rest of the nineteenth century. This was money well spent. In theory open international markets would have been preferable to imperialism; but in practice global free trade was not and is not naturally occurring. The British Empire enforced it.