Transcript Critical Reading: Getting Deeper into Arguments

Chapter 3
Persuasion, Argument, Dispute
Argument is one kind of persuasion
(dispute is a special kind of argument in
which two or more people have opposing
views)
 Argument appeals to reason and or
emotion
 It requires writers to prove their
trustworthiness by:


 Avoiding vulgar language;
 Showing an awareness of the complexity of the
issue
 Showing attention to detail
Some Procedures in Argument

Definition
 Do parts of the argument need to be defined?
 Are examples still relevant?

Assumptions
 one or more unexamined beliefs, may be unstated
 An Example: Assumptions in the Argument
Permitting Abortion
○ Ours is a pluralistic society, in which we believe that the
religious beliefs of one group should not be imposed on
others.
○ Personal privacy is a right, and a woman’s body is hers,
not to be violated by laws that tell her she may not do
certain things to her body.
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
 Sound Arguments

 All premises are true
 The syllogism must be valid
 All humans are mortal
 Socrates is human
 Socrates is mortal
Is each premise true?
The whale is a large fish
 All large fish have scales
 Therefore, whales have scales

So, if both premises are true . . .
The argument must be valid.
 Except, when it isn’t


All terrorists seek publicity for their acts.
 (true?)
John Doe seeks publicity for his act
 John Doe is a terrorist!

Induction
Gives us new information
 Allows us to generalize
 The bus came at 6:00 Monday
 The bus came at 6:00 Tuesday
 Today is Wednesday and the bus will
come at 6:00

Evidence


Experimentation
Examples
 Political candidate has an indiscretion
 Therefore that candidate should not be elected

Analogies
 Babies are not like bad teeth, to be jerked out
because they cause suffering. (assumptions
here also)


Testimony
Statistics
 Be careful! These can be manipulated
Nonrational Appeals
Satire, Irony, Sarcasm
 Emotional appeals

 Are these dangerous? Good argument?
Checklist for Analyzing an
Argument

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