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Argument Basics

Argument Basics. Getting to Accept - Reject - Suspend Judgment. Argument Basics. Premises 1) Acceptable 2) Relevant. Conclusion. About Premises. May be stated or unstated. About Premises. May be stated or unstated. The laws of nature and moral law are one and the same.

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Argument Basics

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  1. Argument Basics Getting to Accept - Reject - Suspend Judgment

  2. Argument Basics Premises 1) Acceptable 2) Relevant Conclusion

  3. About Premises • May be stated or unstated

  4. About Premises • May be stated or unstated The laws of nature and moral law are one and the same. [Human beings can understand the laws of nature.] [Human beings must follow the laws of nature.] So, the human community is charged with the task of ordering its life according to the same kind of objective principles by which the cosmos itself is ordered. -- Adapted from The American Soul, by Jacob Needleman

  5. About Premises • May be stated or unstated • May be dependent or independent

  6. About Premises • May be stated or unstated • May be dependent or independent Dependent premises need at least one other premise to provide support for a conclusion.

  7. About Premises • May be stated or unstated • May be dependent or independent Dependent premises need at least one other premise to provide logical support for a conclusion. Independent premises provide some support for an argument’s conclusion whether or not any other premises are present (given reasonable assumptions).

  8. About Premises • May be stated or unstated • May be dependent or independent In every free society, which the U.S. intends to be, there must be opposite parties and violent dissensions. Generally, one party must prevail over the others. A free society cannot be preserved if the parties do not commit to remaining united even if they don’t prevail. So, a durably free America must include both strong dissent and commitment to preserve the union. Adapted from Thomas Jefferson

  9. About Premises • May be stated or unstated • May be dependent or independent In every free society, there must be opposite parties and violent dissensions. A free society cannot be preserved if the parties do not commit to remaining united. So, a free America can be expected to include both strong dissent and commitment to preserve the union.

  10. About Premises • May be stated or unstated • May be dependent or independent • May be indicated by lead-in words or phrases

  11. About Premises • May be stated or unstated • May be dependent or independent • May be indicated by lead-in words or phrases Since…For the reason that… For…In view of… Because…This is implied by…

  12. About Premises • May be stated or unstated • May be dependent or independent • May be indicated by lead-in words or phrases • May need support or explanation

  13. About Premises • May be stated or unstated • May be dependent or independent • May be indicated by lead-in words or phrases • May need support or explanation This is usually provided in a supporting or explanatory paragraph or in more detailed discussion.

  14. About Premises • May be stated or unstated • May be dependent or independent • May be indicated by lead-in words or phrases • May need support or explanation • May be surrounded by irrelevancies

  15. About Conclusions • May be stated or unstated

  16. About Conclusions • May be stated or unstated Religious freedom is the first freedom guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. It was also the single most important reason why the earliest settlers in the Colonies left the safety and relative comfort of their homes to start new lives here. The bedrock freedoms of American civilization will always need to be protected and interpreted for the times. So…

  17. About Conclusions • May be stated or unstated Religious freedom is the first freedom guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. It was also the single most important reason why the earliest settlers in the Colonies left the safety and relative comfort of their homes to start new lives here. The bedrock freedoms of American civilization will always need to be protected and interpreted for the times. So, we must still interpret and defend religious freedom.

  18. About Conclusions • May be stated or unstated • May be controversial

  19. About Conclusions • May be stated or unstated • May be controversial Madonna’s productions frequently contain religious themes and symbolism. Her work has been the topic of serious study by respected scholars of religion. So, Madonna’s work, even her highly sexual material, must be protected as religious expression by the First Amendment.

  20. About Conclusions • May be stated or unstated • May be controversial • May be indicated by lead-in words or phrases

  21. About Conclusions • May be stated or unstated • May be controversial • May be indicated by lead-in words or phrases Thus… Therefore…This shows that… So… Accordingly... This implies that… Hence… Consequently…This proves that… Ergo… It follows that…This suggests that…

  22. About Conclusions • May be stated or unstated • May be controversial • May be indicated by lead-in words or phrases • Must contain only terms found in the premises (or their equivalents)

  23. About Conclusions • May be stated or unstated • May be controversial • May be indicated by lead-in words or phrases • Must contain only terms found in the premises (or their equivalents) The presence of new terms in a conclusion is strong evidence of unstated premises.

  24. Arguments and Explanations Arguments and explanations are often confused with each other.

  25. Premises Arguments and Explanations Conclusion

  26. How or Why Arguments and Explanations Phenomenon to be Explained

  27. Premises How or Why Arguments and Explanations Conclusion Phenomenon to be Explained

  28. Deductive and Inductive Arguments One way of conceptualizing arguments is by the degree of confidence one is supposed to have in the conclusion if the premises are true.

  29. Deductive arguments are constructed with the intention of supporting their conclusions perfectly, that is, with premises that, if true, prove or guarantee the truth of the conclusion. Deductive and Inductive Arguments

  30. Deductive arguments are constructed with the intention of supporting their conclusions perfectly, that is, with premises that, if true, prove or guarantee the truth of the conclusion. Inductive arguments are constructed with the intention of providing the strongest possible support for the conclusion, even though they are unable to guarantee the truth of the conclusion. Deductive and Inductive Arguments

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