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365DaysOfPhilosophy 14 - Argument Revision
In short, arguments are sets of statements, one of which is intended as a conclusion. The rest are offered in support of the conclusion; these are called premises.
The conclusion is the claim that you are trying to establish when making the argument. The premises are offered as reasons or evidence for the truth of the conclusion.
Joanna won’t win the race unless Bob loses. But Bob will lose. So, Joanna will win.
We should be worried that the trees on the farm will die from lack of water. There is plenty of water on the farm. The trees on the farm will die if there’s not enough water.
Not all arguments are equally strong or convincing — as you can see!
How to recognise an argument — what point is the author or speaker trying to make? That identifies the potential conclusion. Then, have a look at what support (or intended support) the author or speaker provided for that point or claim — and that will help you find the premises.
Recognizing arguments is often made easier by the author’s or speaker’s use of indicator words. They frequently appear in arguments; however, even if we find no indicator word/s in a passage, we should still try to figure out whether it contains an argument.
Erica will always be an average dancer. She would be a great dancer if she practiced. But she never practices.
There’s many things we might confuse for arguments — reports, imperative sentences, statements of belief or opinion, descriptions or explanations. Be wary of emotionally appealing phrases or blanket statements, as they may be confused for premises.
There may be use of humour, fear or exaggeration to encourage people to accept arguments — watch out for those too! We’ll discuss fallacies next week.
Tomorrow — some exercises on arguments that are available to Patreon supporters — for as little as $1 a week, you can have access to that material and more, as well as support this podcast.
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In short, arguments are sets of statements, one of which is intended as a conclusion. The rest are offered in support of the conclusion; these are called premises.
The conclusion is the claim that you are trying to establish when making the argument. The premises are offered as reasons or evidence for the truth of the conclusion.
Joanna won’t win the race unless Bob loses. But Bob will lose. So, Joanna will win.
We should be worried that the trees on the farm will die from lack of water. There is plenty of water on the farm. The trees on the farm will die if there’s not enough water.
Not all arguments are equally strong or convincing — as you can see!
How to recognise an argument — what point is the author or speaker trying to make? That identifies the potential conclusion. Then, have a look at what support (or intended support) the author or speaker provided for that point or claim — and that will help you find the premises.
Recognizing arguments is often made easier by the author’s or speaker’s use of indicator words. They frequently appear in arguments; however, even if we find no indicator word/s in a passage, we should still try to figure out whether it contains an argument.
Erica will always be an average dancer. She would be a great dancer if she practiced. But she never practices.
There’s many things we might confuse for arguments — reports, imperative sentences, statements of belief or opinion, descriptions or explanations. Be wary of emotionally appealing phrases or blanket statements, as they may be confused for premises.
There may be use of humour, fear or exaggeration to encourage people to accept arguments — watch out for those too! We’ll discuss fallacies next week.
Tomorrow — some exercises on arguments that are available to Patreon supporters — for as little as $1 a week, you can have access to that material and more, as well as support this podcast.