Chapter 2: Recognizing Argument §

(F) Day of the week: Tuesday Class: IS209 Created Time: March 10, 2020 3:52 PM Database: Class Notes Database Date: March 10, 2020 3:52 PM Days Till Date: Passed Last Edited Time: June 9, 2021 10:42 AM Type: Lecture

I. What is an Argument? §

An Argument is a group of two or more statements to prove something is right or wrong.

🗣 An Argument = Premises + Conclusion

1. Statements §

Statements are sentences that can be viewed as either true or false.

• Statements can be either subjectively or objectively true or false.
• Statements can be a phrase or a clause
• Not all sentences are statements. (Questions, commands, proposals)

Prefaces: “It is true that [statement].”

Non statement won’t make logical sense.

💡 Statements form Arguments

• What is not a Statement

  What time is it? (question)

  Hi, Dad! (greeting) Close the window! (command)

  Please send me your current catalog. (request)

  Let’s go to Paris for our anniversary. (proposal)

  Insert tab A into slot B. (instruction)

  Oh, my goodness! (exclamation)

Rhetorical Question §

Rhetorical Questions are used as a premise to assert something that is obvious to prove your conclusion.

Ought Imperative §

Ought Imperative is a statement given as a suggestion that can either be followed or not.

II. Distinguish between Premises and Conclusions §

Premise Indicators §

• since
• for seeing that
• inasmuch as because
• given that
• considering that
• as

Conclusion Indicators §

• therefor
• hence
• so
• it follows that
• that is why
• wherefore
• as a result

Sometimes there aren’t indicators or doesn’t act as indicators, so context is needed to see the meaning

• Find position Arthur is holding
• Conclusions are normally at the beginning or end of sentences
• Find Author’s point or objective
• put indicators to see if it fit

III. Non-Argument §

1. Report §

to give out information or to inform.

Reported Speech of another person’s argument is not an argument itself.

ex: Government is legitimate, according to Hobbes, because living under a government is better than living in a state of nature. The advantages of government are so great that it is worth sacrifi cing some of our freedom in order to bring about these advantages.

2. Unsupported Assertions §

to give out own belief, rational or irrational, true or false.

It is not an argument unless the author say the belief is supported by premises

ex: I believe that it is not dying that people are afraid of, We are afraid of never having lived…

3. Conditional Statements §

if: Antecedent

then: consequent

if-then statements only assert that if one statement is true, the other must also be true. not to claim any of them will be true

ex: If Rhode Island were larger than Ohio, and Ohio were larger than Texas, then Rhode Island would be larger than Texas

Chain Arguments: multiple if-then arguments that link together

One or multiple conditional statements as premise

One conditional statement as a conclusion.

4. Illustrations §

Illustrations are examples of the claim that are used to show not to prove a point or support the claim.

Illustrations can act as a premise, can be used in an argument.

Problems with illustrations §

• for example or for instance could be used to state an argument rather than an illustration
• illustrating a claim does not provide sufficient evidence to prove a claim true

💡 Principle of Charity: Unclear Passages should be interpreted as the stronger argument rather than the weaker. Bad arguments should be interpreted as a non-argument

5. Explanations §

Explanations are used to prove why something is true rather than if it is true

• Past Events
• Well known general knowledge

explanandum: statement of what is being explained

explanans: statement of the explanation.

Distinguish Arguments from Explanation §

• The Common-Knowledge Test: if explanandum is common knowledge, it probably is an explanation
• The Past-Event Test if explanandum is about past event it probably is an explanation
• The Author’s Intent Test: by looking at the statements, if it seems like the author is providing evidence to prove a claim is true, then it’s an argument. If it seems like the author is offering an account of why something is true, then it’s an explanation.
• The Principle of Charity Test

Sometimes the 4 tests still don’t make it clear which it is

• if it’s an argument, it is a good [bad] argument because _______.
• if it’s an explanation, it is a good [bad] explanation because _______