Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
ARGUMENTS
De Guzman, Justine
Two analytical techniques
Paraphrasing Arguments
- setting forth its propositions in clear
language and in logical order
Diagramming Arguments
- representing the structure of the
argument graphically
Paraphrasing Arguments
setforth clearly what the premises
indubitably assert.
Modus Ponens
Modus Tollens
Hypothetical syllogism
Disjunctive syllogism
instantiation
Examples
Hundreds of thousands of recent
college graduates today cannot express
themselves with the written word. Why?
Because universities have shortchanged
them, offering strange literary theories,
Marxism, feminism, deconstruction, and
other oddities in the guise of writing courses.
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Lastly, premises supporting the conclusion only
when they are joined. In this diagram, we use
brackets to show that its premises give support
only because they are joined.
General Motors makes money on new cars and
on the financing of loans. Car dealers, by
contrast, make most of their money on servicing old
cars and selling used ones. So car dealers can
thrive even when the automaker languishes.
SINGLE vs. MULTIPLE Arguments
A single argument means an
argument with a single
conclusion, regardless of how
many premises are adduced in
its support. Multiple arguments
on the other hand, requires
multiple conclusions.
Example of diagramming a
multiple argument
Vacuum cleaners to insure clean houses are
praiseworthy and essential in our standard of
living. Street cleaners to insure clean streets
are an unfortunate expense. Partly as a result
our houses are generally clean and our
streets generally filthy.
Complex Argumentative
Passages
In diagramming complex arguments, the
same basic tools apply such as in
diagramming simple arguments. Complex
arguments may have several premises
and one or more conclusions. Some
complex arguments are constructed by
linking together several simpler
arguments. The linkage may be made by
having the conclusion of one argument
serve as a premise in another argument.
Example
Drugs should be legalized because it
would cut down on street crime. Criminals
wouldn’t have to commit crimes to get
their drugs because their drugs would be
cheap. And it would save the taxpayer a
lot of money. We wouldn’t have to build
so many jails and we wouldn’t have to
hire so many cops to enforce drug laws.
In this example
Drugs should be legalized because
it would cut down on street crime.
Criminals wouldn’t have to commit crimes
to get their drugs because their drugs
would be cheap. it would save the
taxpayers a lot of money. We wouldn’t
have to build so many jails and we
wouldn’t have to hire so many cops to
enforce drug laws.
We diagram it, like this
Problems in Reasoning
Inreasoning, we advance from premises
known to conclusions