CLD 121 Journal Entry 3 - Chapter 2 CLRP
An argument is a theory defended by evidence, and is composed of statements and a conclusion. Statements, also known as premises, are offered as evidence to support the conclusion of an argument. Statements can be true, such as my birthdate is October 23, 1982; or false, like stating it snows in Canada mostly duing July and August. Statements also must be able to stand alone as main points of an argument. Some sentences can appear to be statements but are questions or commands. The following examples are not statements. Tie your shoes! or the exam is coming up, isn't it? To recognize if a sentence is a statement, it should be able to be rephrased so that it suggests a judgment about what someone should or should not do. The following examples are now statements. Tie your shoes, or you will trip and fall! We have an exam coming up, it is advisable to study to do well in the course. Critical thinking is focused on understanding and evaluating arguments and the premises they provide.
To detect premises and conclusions, indicator words are provided as clues to what is coming next. Words such as “judging from” and “because” are preparing the reader for evidence to come. Words such as “ therefore” and “as a result” are preparing the reader for a conclusion. As a reader, we know this subconsciously, but the tricky part is when there are limited or no indicator words. In this case, readers have to figure out which statements are providing evidence or conclusion to the arguments. In the book, there are a whole bunch of examples, pages worth on this matter. If we didn't do them in class as group work, I would have never done them on my own. I have a short attention span, but I see the importance of having to know this informtation.
Arguments are presented every day. They do not have to be shouting, fighting, or sometimes not using language at all. For example, when we see a subway ad, an argument is being provided for us to buy the product shown. An important point, as a critical thinker, is to establish what is an argument and what is not. An argument is a group of statements, and the conclusion statement is supported by the others. Reports, assertions, illustrations, and explanations are not arguments. Reports give information about a subject. Assertions say what a person believes without evidence. Illustrations provide examples, but no evidence. Explanations do just that, explain but do not prove. In order to argue, one must prove what they are arguing for.
To write a successful argument, a writer should be aware of what its composed of. An argument can’t be considered poor if it provides all the integral parts of an argument including statements providing evidence, and a conclusion supported by those statements.
To detect premises and conclusions, indicator words are provided as clues to what is coming next. Words such as “judging from” and “because” are preparing the reader for evidence to come. Words such as “ therefore” and “as a result” are preparing the reader for a conclusion. As a reader, we know this subconsciously, but the tricky part is when there are limited or no indicator words. In this case, readers have to figure out which statements are providing evidence or conclusion to the arguments. In the book, there are a whole bunch of examples, pages worth on this matter. If we didn't do them in class as group work, I would have never done them on my own. I have a short attention span, but I see the importance of having to know this informtation.
Arguments are presented every day. They do not have to be shouting, fighting, or sometimes not using language at all. For example, when we see a subway ad, an argument is being provided for us to buy the product shown. An important point, as a critical thinker, is to establish what is an argument and what is not. An argument is a group of statements, and the conclusion statement is supported by the others. Reports, assertions, illustrations, and explanations are not arguments. Reports give information about a subject. Assertions say what a person believes without evidence. Illustrations provide examples, but no evidence. Explanations do just that, explain but do not prove. In order to argue, one must prove what they are arguing for.
To write a successful argument, a writer should be aware of what its composed of. An argument can’t be considered poor if it provides all the integral parts of an argument including statements providing evidence, and a conclusion supported by those statements.