Making a Solid Argument
Adapted from McGraw-Hill’s Critical Thinking: A Student Introduction by Bassham, Irwin, Nardone, and Wallace. Go to
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0767417399/# for more information.
Important Definitions:
Critical
thinking
The general term given to a wide range of cognitive skills and intellectual dispositions needed to effectively
identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments and truth claims, to discover and overcome personal prejudices
and biases, to formulate and present convincing reasons in support of conclusions, and to make
reasonable, intelligent decisions about what to believe and what to do.
Unwarranted
assumption
A belief that is taken for granted without sufficient reason or justification.
Premises
Statements in an argument offered as reasons or evidence for a conclusion.
Argument
A claim defended with reasons. More precisely, an argument is a set of statements, one of which (called
the conclusion) is claimed or intended to be supported by the others (called the premises).
Valid/Strong
argument
An inductive argument in which the conclusion follows probably from the premises. An argument that
satisfies the relevant critical thinking standards that apply in a particular context, including accuracy,
logical correctness, clarity, precision, relevance, consistency, completeness, and fairness.
Invalid/Weak
argument
A deductive argument in which the conclusion does not follow necessarily from the premises.
Begging the
question
A fallacy that occurs when an arguer states or assumes as a premise the very statement he or she is
seeking to prove as a conclusion.
Fallacies of insufficient
evidence
Fallacies that occur because the premises, though logically relevant to the conclusion, fail to
provide sufficient evidence to support the conclusion.
Relevance
Pertinence to the subject at issue. In logic, a statement, A, is said to be relevant to another statement,
B, just in case A provides evidence for or against B.
Fallacies of
relevance
Fallacies that occur because the premises are logically irrelevant to the conclusion.
Straw
man
A fallacy that occurs when an arguer distorts an opponent's argument or claim in order to make it easier to
attack.
Generalization A statement that asserts that all or most things of a certain kind have a certain property or characteristic.
Oversimplified cause
fallacy
Post hoc
fallacy
Questionable
cause
A fallacy that occurs when an arguer assumes, without sufficient evidence, that A is the sole cause
of B, when in fact there are several causes of B.
A fallacy that occurs when an arguer assumes without sufficient evidence that because one event, A, occurred
before another event, B, that A is the cause of B.
A fallacy that occurs when an arguer claims without sufficient evidence that one thing is the cause of
something else.
Characteristics of a good argument:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The premises are true and relevant to the conclusions that the argument comes to.
The reasoning is correct and logical.
There are no logical fallacies.
The points are expressed clearly and precisely.
All evidence given is clearly stated and linked to the argument being made. The link between the evidence
and the conclusion is logical and explicitly stated.
6. The argument does not contradict other arguments in the paper.
7. All relevant evidence is taken into account.
8. The argument is fair to opposing arguments and views.
What is wrong with these arguments?
I know the Professor said that the Harry Potter was smarmy trash and lacked any artistic worth. But I still think he's wrong.
After all, it was on the best-seller list for over 100 weeks.
Capital punishment for repeatedly convicted drug dealers is absolutely justifiable because people who are found guilty of
selling drugs again and again should be given the death penalty.
Hey, I don't see what's wrong with taking a pad of paper or a few computer disks home from the office. I mean, they'll never
be missed by anyone. Besides, this company has been underpaying me for years.
Evaluating your own arguments:
1.
Read what you have written and revise it, critically assessing the content of your paper from the perspective of a
reader who may object to your views.
2.
Consider what you have not written and revise your essay, critically evaluating any assumptions or evidence you
have failed to examine carefully.
3.
Show your work to others so as to receive critical comments from the perspective of a reader other than yourself.
Make one good and one bad argument out of the given statements:
1. The number of tardies has decreased since the new tardy policy was implemented.
Good:
Bad:
2. A recent poll shows that Candidate A is beating Candidate B 52% to 48%.
Good:
Bad: