tfys ch.9

TFYS CH. 9 Argument: What is a good argument?


One important aspect of critical reading is our ability to evaluate arguments, i.e., to judge and assess an argument’s persuasiveness. If you are persuaded by an argument, you will accept it based on the strengths of the reasons provided. Someone who offers a ‘good’ argument is giving you REASONS and EVIDENCE to accept their claim. Therefore, if you look only at the conclusion and accept or reject it without looking at the reasons (premises), you are ignoring the argument.
Arguments represent the bias, interests, and objectives of the viewpoint. To assess an argument, we first must determine the issue, An issue is a controversial problem that evokes different arguments pro and con.
Arguments and reports have very different objectives. We cannot analyze one according to the standards of the other. Although arguments and reports have very different objectives and forms they can be mistaken for one another if their differences are not fully understood.
A quick method for analyzing an argument is to disassemble its structure, first identifying its conclusion and then separating the statement from the reason offered to support it.