©2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Diagram this argument. Since Mary visited a realtor and her bank’s mortgage department, she must be planning on buying a home.

©2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Analyzing Arguments Quiz Identify whether the premises in the following arguments provide interdependent support or independent support. 1. The sign reads, "Absolutely no littering." Your bubblegum wrapper is litter. So, if you leave that wrapper on the ground, you're breaking the law. 2. Salesman to customer: The Supertron Mega V12 is the computer for you. Its the fastest and most complete computer on the market. It comes with a two-year warranty. And, its loaded with all of the most recent software. 3. We are certain that the Earth is roughly spherical. First, it is apparent during a lunar eclipse that the shadow cast on the moon is curved. Second, one can fly around the earth in a straight line in any direction and end up in the same place. Finally, we have some nifty photographs from both astronauts and satellites. 4. It is clear that the Earth is spherical from the fact that spheres cast curved shadows and the earth casts a curved shadow on the moon during a lunar eclipse. 5. An appeal to emotion is not really an argument at all. Strictly speaking, then, an appeal to emotion isn't a fallacy, since every fallacy is an argument.

©2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Analyzing Arguments Quiz Identify whether the premises in the following arguments provide interdependent support or independent support. 1. The sign reads, "Absolutely no littering." Your bubblegum wrapper is litter. So, if you leave that wrapper on the ground, you're breaking the law. INTERDEPENDENT 2. Salesman to customer: The Supertron Mega V12 is the computer for you. Its the fastest and most complete computer on the market. It comes with a two-year warranty. And, its loaded with all of the most recent software. INDEPENDENT 3. We are certain that the Earth is roughly spherical. First, it is apparent during a lunar eclipse that the shadow cast on the moon is curved. Second, one can fly around the earth in a straight line in any direction and end up in the same place. Finally, we have some nifty photographs from both astronauts and satellites. INDEPENDENT 4. It is clear that the Earth is spherical from the fact that spheres cast curved shadows and the earth casts a curved shadow on the moon during a lunar eclipse. INTERDEPENDENT 5. An appeal to emotion is not really an argument at all. Strictly speaking, then, an appeal to emotion isn't a fallacy, since every fallacy is an argument. INTERDEPENDENT

McGraw-Hill ©2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Analyzing Arguments Unpacking Arguments

©2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Diagram this argument. Step 1. Number each statement and note each indicator word. Since (1) Mary visited a realtor and (2) her bank’s mortgage department, (3) she must be planning on buying a home. Since Mary visited a realtor and her bank’s mortgage department, she must be planning on buying a home. Go To Next Slide

©2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Since (1) Mary visited a realtor and (2) her bank’s mortgage department, (3) she must be planning on buying a home. Step 2. Which of the claims is the conclusion? Which are premises? (1)(2)(3) Premise Note the indicator word, “since.” PremiseConclusion Go To Next Slide 7-2

©2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Since (1) Mary visited a realtor and (2) her bank’s mortgage department, (3) she must be planning on buying a home. Step 3. Use arrows to represent the intended relationship between the claims. (1)(2) (3) In this case the premises are independent. Even though the combined force of both premises makes the argument stronger, either premise could stand alone in supporting the conclusion. 7-3

©2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Argument Diagramming Sample #2 Sandra can’t register for her classes on Wednesday. After all, Sandra is a sophomore and sophomore registration begins on Thursday. Step #1. Identify each claim and note any indicator words that might help identify premise(s) and conclusion(s). (1) Sandra can’t register for her classes on Wednesday. After all, (2) Sandra is a sophomore and (3) sophomore registration begins on Thursday. 7-4

©2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. (1) Sandra can’t register for her classes on Wednesday. After all, (2) Sandra is a sophomore and (3) sophomore registration begins on Thursday. “After all” is generally a premise indicator. This “and” serves to join two different claims. 7-5

©2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Step #2. Use arrows to show the relationships between the claims in the argument. (2)(3) (1) (2)(3) (1) (+) Decide whether the premises are independent. Or dependent. These are dependent premises since both (in conjunction) are necessary to prove the conclusion. 7-6

©2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Pool maintenance can cost hundreds of dollars a year and we really don’t have that kind of money. So, I don’t think we should put a pool in this summer. Besides, pools pose a real drowning danger to small children. Step #1. The first task is to analyze the argument. Decide what the various claims are and begin to decide which are premises and which are conclusions. Number the claims and note any indicator words. 7-7

©2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. (1) Pool maintenance can cost hundreds of dollars a year and (2) we really don’t have that kind of money. So, (3) I don’t think we should put a pool in this summer. Besides, (4) pools pose a real drowning danger to small children. Note the “and” connecting two claims. “So” is a conclusion indicator. A premise indicator. 7-8

©2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Step #2. Use arrows to represent the argument. (1)(2) (3) (+) Premises 1 and 2 are dependent. While premise 1 could stand alone, premise 2 can’t. (4) Premise 4 is independent. It could be offered alone as support for the conclusion. 7-9

©2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. (1) Pool maintenance can cost hundreds of dollars a year and (2) we really don’t have that kind of money. So, (3) I don’t think we should put a pool in this summer. Besides, (4) pools pose a real drowning danger to small children. (5) We don’t want dangerous things in the yard. (1)(2) (3) (+) (4) Notice that there is an implied premise here working in conjunction with #4. Do you see it? (+) (5) 7-10

©2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Learning Summary This goes in your Portfolio Learning Log What did you learn today about unpacking arguments? (Your answer should be two to three sentences).