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Nature of Arguments

HU260 Strategies of Decision Making, Week 1 Assignment

Tim Hsiao

Katherine Ard

April 18th 2023

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Nature of Arguments

What is An Argument?

Three statements are consisted of an argument. Two statements claim the support

of the third. Certain words and phrases make them indicators of an argument. Examples

like: 1. My daughter’s t-ball team won.

2. They won all of their games.

3. They are better than watching the Boston Red Sox’s play.

What is Cogent Reasoning?

Cogent is another word for good. Fallacious is another word for bad. So Cogent

Reasoning, or good reasoning’s have requirements for being satisfying statements. The

three conditions of making it a cogent reasoning are having believable premises, when

there is no relevant information throughout, and that is have to have valid reasoning

making it an argument. (Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric; The Use of Reason in

Everyday Life, Thirteenth Edition, Frank Boardman, Nancy Cavender, Howard Kahene)

Basic Arguments of Deductive and Inductive Validity.

Typically there are two basic kinds of arguments, deductive strong valid and

inductive strong validity arguments. Deductive validity makes up of two statements that

support the conclusion. Secondly, we have inductive strong validity is when the

conclusion is an over exaggerated.

How Background Beliefs, Worldviews, or Philosophies Fit Into an Argument!

How do we know it’s even an argument? How do we know what’s right and

wrong? We have these things called background beliefs, and morals. We back our

argument up with what we believe in, right? Science, the nature of human nature and the
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how reliable the informational sources are kinds of background beliefs. Our culture,

heritages family values, and so on are examples of beliefs. Moral values like honesty,

integrity, respect, and responsibilities. If didn’t have anything we believed in like morals

and such, how would on argument have a backbone. We use our morals to lean on in an

argument. We cannot argue a defense if we have no moral beliefs to be our backbone to

defend us.

Rational Personal Experience

Constantly being a mom I have arguments with my children about what is right

and what is wrong. My oldest daughter, Addalynn, is always blaming things on her little

sister Abbigayle. “Abbigayle tore my squishy!” Addalynn would screech. And Abbigayle

“No, I didn’t! She tore it up.” Come to find out Addalyyn accidentally did it when she

was fidgeting with it while watching TV. We are constantly having a conversation about

telling the truth. They are always doing the name blame game and pointing fingers at the

one another. As a parent I have to teach them basic personal beliefs and morals like

telling the truth. That telling the truth will get both of them less time in the corner, or

cleaning up the mess, or less of a lecture. Telling the truth from the beginning will have a

less mad of a mother, and less punishment.

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Nature Of Arguments

References:

(Boardman, Frank / Cavender, Nancy / Kahane, Howard / Logic & Contemporary

Rhetoric, The Use of Reason in Everyday Life, Thirteenth Edition)