Lecture 9

:

Analyzing Arguments –
Diagramming Short Arguments

This is a bit of historical documentation of what
Spring Breaks were like when I was an
undergraduate (well, really when I was still in
high school) ….

Welcome Back from Spring Break

Trayvon Martin . Today: Analyzing Arguments But first. a fallacy in the news … Can you spot it? What kind of fallacy is this? • What Obama said re. Trayvon Martin • What Gingrich said Obama said re.

. • Premises and conclusions are statements. Arguments – Review • Arguments consist of premises and conclusions.

seeing that. judging from. Arguments – Review • Premise indicator words: since. wherefore. on account of • Conclusion indicator words: therefore. accordingly. this implies that. this being so. as a result. hence. inasmuch as. so. given that. as. considering that. for this reason. it follows that. . that is why. which shows that. we may infer that. this suggests that. for. consequently. in view of the fact that. because. thus. as indicated by.

there’s no evidence that it’s a more effective deterrent than life imprisonment. Diagramming Short Arguments • Argument: The death penalty should be abolished because it’s racially discriminatory. . and innocent people may be executed by mistake.

underline. . etc.) all premise and / or conclusion indicators. there’s no evidence that it’s a more effective deterrent than life imprisonment. and innocent people may be executed by mistake. The death penalty should be abolished because it’s racially discriminatory. Diagramming Short Arguments • Step 1: Identify (circle.

1) The death penalty should be abolished 2) because it’s racially discriminatory. . Diagramming Short Arguments • Step 2: Number the statements consecutively as they appear in the argument. and 4) innocent people may be executed by mistake. 3) there’s no evidence that it’s a more effective deterrent than life imprisonment.

2) 3) 4) 1) . Diagramming Short Arguments • Step 3: Arrange the numbers on a page with the premises placed above the conclusion(s) they claim to support.

and 4) offer independent support for the conclusion. Diagramming Short Arguments • Step 4: Omit any logically irrelevant statements. • Step 5: Use arrows to mean ‘is offered as evidence for’ to show relationship of argument support. . 2) 3) 4) 1) Here 2). 3).

• A premise provides linked support when it works conjointly with another premise to support the conclusion: EXAMPLE: No member of the SJSU community is a fan of the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band. Diagramming Short Arguments • A premise provides independent support for a conclusion when the amount of support it provides would not be weakened or destroyed by the removal of any other premise in the argument. . Maurice is a member of the SJSU community. Maurice is not a fan of the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band. So.

2) Maurice is a member of SJSU community. Maurice is not a fan of the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band. . Diagramming Short Arguments – Linked Support 1) No members of the SJSU community is a fan of the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band. 3) So.

Diagramming Short Arguments Linked Support: 1) + 2) 3) .

Josue is a Rhodes Scholar. Nick doesn’t own a car. Nick is legally blind. Josue is not a student in So Nick probably won’t Ling 21. . drive a car to the game. Linked or Independent Support? • Linked: Omission of one • Independent: Neither premise cancels / reduces premise would provide support provided by the less support for the other. So. No student in Ling 21 is a • Example: Rhodes Scholar. conclusion if the other Example: were omitted.

Therefore. The stolen bank money was found in Blotto’s car. Blotto probably robbed the bank. Linked or Independent Support? • Ten witnesses say they saw Blotto rob the bank. Blotto’s fingerprints were found at the Teller’s window. then she’s probably very fit. . So Amy probably is very fit. Amy does run marathons. • If Amy runs marathons.

2) So. Other Kinds of Support 1) Jim is a senior citizen. Jim probably doesn’t like hip-hop music. 3) So. 1) 2) 3) . Jim probably won’t be going to the Ashanti concert tonight.

. and Senator Dumdiddle is a Democrat. Senator Dumdidle is probably a liberal. Thus. Other Kinds of Support Example: Most Democrats are liberals. Therefore. because most liberals support affirmative action in higher education. Senator Dumdiddle probably supports affirmative action in higher education.

. 5) because most liberals support affirmative action in higher education. Other Kinds of Support Example: 1) Most Democrats are liberals. 3) Thus. Senator Dumdidle is probably a liberal. 4) Therefore. Senator Dumdiddle probably supports affirmative action in higher education. and 2) Senator Dumdiddle is a Democrat.

Other Kinds of Support • Premises and conclusions: 1) + 2) 3) + 5) 4) .

if you cheat in school now. First. cheating violates the teacher’s trust that you will do your own work. Finally. you’ll find it easier to cheat in other situations later in life – perhaps even in your closest personal relationships. because you can never be proud of anything you got by cheating. Fourth. Other Kinds of Support Cheating is wrong for several reasons. cheating is unfair to all the people who aren’t cheating. . cheating is a lie because it deceives other people into thinking you know more than you do. Third. Second. it will lower your self-respect.

it will lower your self-respect. 7) Fourth. 4) Second. Other Kinds of Support 1) Cheating is wrong for several reasons. 8) Finally. cheating is a lie 5) because it deceives other people into thinking you know more than you do. 3) because you can never be proud of anything you got by cheating. you’ll find it easier to cheat in other situations later in life – perhaps even in your closest personal relationships. cheating violates the teacher’s trust that you will do your own work. 2) First. 6) Third. cheating is unfair to all the people who aren’t cheating. if you cheat in school now. .

Other Kinds of Support Notice the use of because in 3) and 5): 3) 5) 2) 4) .

7). 4). 6). Other Kinds of Support • Note that 2). and 8) all provide independent support for the main conclusion 1): 3) 5) 2) 4) 6) 7) 8) 1) .

. • Don’t diagram irrelevant statements. • Treat conditional statements (if-then) and disjunctive statements (either-or) as single statements. • Don’t diagram redundant statements. • Remember: sentences containing the word ‘and’ often contain two or more separate statements. Tips on Diagramming Short Arguments • Find the main conclusion first • Pay close attention to premise and conclusion indicators. • Don’t number / diagram any sentence that is not a statement.

Practice Critical Thinking. p.) all premise and / or conclusion indicators. Exercise 7. • Step 5: Use arrows to mean ‘is offered as evidence for’ to show relationship of argument support. • Step 3: Arrange the numbers on a page with the premises placed above the conclusion(s) they claim to support. etc. • Step 4: Omit any logically irrelevant statements. underline. . • Step 2: Number the statements consecutively as they appear in the argument. 171-75.1 • Step 1: Identify (circle.