Chapter 7: What is Argument? Beyond Feelings

What Is Argument? A quarrel A formal debate The line of reasoning that supports a judgment *The word argument has several meanings: -A quarrel: a heated, emotional, screaming match that often ends up being meaningless babble **not relevant to critical thinking, so for our purposes not an “argument” -a formal debate: the exchange of opinions between two or more people **egos are put aside, goal is to find a deeper understanding of the issue, no winner or loser cuz when we are enlightened, we all win --not very practical, we all want to win and keep score but we should TRY to view debating this way -The line of reasoning that supports a judgment **focus on the quality of the individual contribution to the overall deliberation --this is the type of argument we focus on in the course *However, verbal arguments are often more complex and difficult to test than math problems

The Parts of an Argument a set of claims, or statements one of the claims is singled out and called the “conclusion”, the others are called the “premises” the premises are intended as offering reasons to believe or accept the conclusion Terminology for understanding parts of an argument: *Premise: The law prohibits the sale of heroin & Jeff sold a stranger heroin *Conclusion: Therefore, Jeff broke the law **Words like “Therefore, so, consequently” are often used to identify conclusion Principles used to evaluate arguments: The premises are either true or false (correct or incorrect) --the law DOES or DOESN’T prohibit the sale of heroin 2. The reasoning that links the premises to the conclusion is either valid or invalid. --must follow a logical thought process to arrive at the conclusion…SLIDE Correct premises plus valid reasoning equal a sound argument Either an incorrect premise or invalid reasoning will render an argument unsound **Just like how we can have accurate numbers but make an error in calculation, we can have accurate premises but error in reasoning --when we have inaccurate/incomplete info and then reason recklessly it increases the chances of error **If you think your first impressions are correct without question you are likely to error in argument --leaves you open to self deception & manipulation by others --need to think critically, tentatively and compare with other ideas

The Failed Prophets of a False Premise Evaluating Arguments Are the premises true? Does the reasoning lead to a valid conclusion? *So to simplify the 4 guidelines of evaluating arguments: --decide whether the premises are true or false & whether the reasoning that comes from them leads to a valid conclusion **If criteria are met…argument is sound --ask questions at each premise and answer them (ie. Is this true?) --ask “do the premises lead to this conclusion and no other?” *Let’s play the “Is this argument sound game!!!??!!” The Failed Prophets of a False Premise

More Difficult Arguments? Argument: They should have never married because they felt no strong physical attraction to each other during courtship. *Not all arguments are this clear…Guidelines for dealing with difficult arguments: When an argument is longer than a paragraph -summarize it before asking questions but be careful to summarize accurately When you are uncertain which statements are the premises and which is the conclusion -ask yourself what is the idea they are trying to get me to accept (Conclusion)? What reasons are offered as support for the idea (Premises)? 3. When an argument contains more than two premises -ask/answer questions about each, eliminate irrelevant premises, decide if the conclusion follows a logical thought process with the remaining premises 4. When you are evaluating opposing arguments & neither is persuasive -look for a third alternative…. 5. When an argument contains hidden premises -identify them before proceeding with your evaluation **implied ideas that when inaccurate, corrupt arguments