Let's examine another article using hypothetical reasoning. Read Richard Dawkins's article. Once you have read the article, you might start your evaluation by learning something about Richard Dawkins himself, beginning with the brief note provided by the editor. If necessary, do some additional research to discover whether Dawkins has an advanced degree in the field he is writing about, whether he holds an academic appointment at a respected university, and whether he has written other books on this subject. Are his opinions widely respected in the scientific community"

Now let's review Dawkins's article using the five steps for hypothetical reasoning.

1. State a hypothesis. The origin of life on Earth was caused by the spontaneous appearance of a self—replicating process.

2. Gather the author's evidence.

1. In developing a theory of the origin of life, we are entitled to assume quite a bit of "luck...