Constructing Arguments Discussion

Complete the evaluation tool on pages 455-456. Discuss how you construct and evaluate arguments based on the 4 assessment categories within the evaluation tool.

ASSESSING YOUR STRATEGIES AND CREATING NEW GOALS

How Well Do I Construct and Evaluate Arguments?

Arguments are a form of thinking in which certain reasons are offered to support a conclusion, and they are at the heart of the reasoning process. Described below are key thinking abilities that are correlated with analyzing complex issues by recognizing, constructing, and evaluating arguments. Evaluate your position regarding each of these abilities and attributes, and use this self-evaluation to guide your efforts to become a more effective reasoner.

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Make Analytic Reasoning a Priority

Becoming a sophisticated reasoner means developing certain habits of mind that you use on a daily basis. As a critical thinker, you need to resist the trend toward thoughtlessness, analyzing issues carefully and encouraging others to do the same.

Strategy: Make a special effort to analyze issues thoughtfully before reaching a conclusion. Avoid making quick decisions based on incomplete information. Instead, ask questions, think carefully, and develop well-supported conclusions. Encourage others to become more thoughtful by asking them why they think what they do and helping them to clarify their analyses.

Recognize Arguments and Understand Their Structure

One of the core elements of our ability to reason is our ability to construct and evaluate arguments, which are forms of thinking in which certain reasons are offered to support a conclusion. The first step in this process is being able to recognize arguments, which turn up in many contexts in various guises. Cue words can provide hints, but recognizing the logical form is the only sure way to identify them.

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Strategy: For the next several days, pay particular attention to arguments you encounter in various contexts: in your classes, with friends, watching television, at work. Record these arguments in your Thinker’s Notebook, and identify the structure of each (reasons and conclusions).

Construct Sound Arguments

Constructing sound arguments is the heart of the reasoning process—and so many people are poor reasoners because they don’t purposely hone this skill. By developing your skills at constructing and evaluating arguments, you will gain a powerful reasoning tool that you can use in every area of your life.

Strategy: Develop the habit of analyzing the key arguments in articles you read, information from television, and conversations with others. Use yourThinking Notebook to outline the arguments: What are the reasons? What is the conclusion? Then evaluate the argument: Is the reasoning valid? Is the conclusion supported by the premises? Are the premises true? This may seem time-consuming at first, but it is an invaluable activity, and before long you will find yourself arguing in a much more accomplished fashion.

Evaluate Arguments Effectively

Many arguments are illogical and unsound, and we need to be able to distinguish the valuable from the worthless. Evaluating arguments is a two-step process conducted by posing the following questions: Does the conclusion follow logically from the reasons? Are the reasons accurate and relevant?

Strategy: Look again at the arguments you identified and recorded in the previous activity, and evaluate them in terms of their logical soundness. The more you evaluate arguments in this way, the more this will become an automatic habit when you encounter or construct arguments (much to the consternation of others!).

SAMPLE SOLUTION

Constructing and Evaluating Arguments
The successful construction and evaluation of arguments is aided by several elements including clear understanding of the arguments’ meanings, identification of the arguments’ conclusions, reinforcement of the arguments’ conclusions, and determining whether the supports and reinforcements offered are | GET AN EXPERT FOR YOUR ASSIGNMENT | can express debatable opinions on the issue under discussion. Even though there are no precise criteria for evaluating arguments, it has been argued that good arguments should…