Think critically 3rd edtion facione gittens 2016 chapter 07

© 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Chapter Evaluate Arguments: Four Basic Tests THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Learning Outcomes • Explain the four presumptions about argument making we make when we offer one another reasons to support our claims • Evaluate the worthiness of arguments by applying the four tests: Truthfulness of the Premises, Logical Strength, Relevance, and Non-Circularity • Recognize common reasoning mistakes known as fallacies of relevance THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Chapter Opening Video THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Giving Reasons and Making Arguments • • • • Truthfulness Logical strength Relevance Non-circularity THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Truthfulness • People expect that the statements offered when making arguments are true – If a disagreement about the truth of any statement should arise, people involved can: • Make an effort to find out if that statement is true • Qualify the force with which they assert and maintain any claims in the line of reasoning that relies on the statement • Premise - Statement that is a component of a reason THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Logical Strength • The speaker’s reason is supposed to be the logical basis for his or her claim • The assumed truth of the premises of an argument justifies or implies that the conclusion also be taken as true THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Relevance • Conclusion can be true independent of whether the premises are true or logically support the conclusion – So What? presumption • The listener takes the speaker’s reason to be relevant in believing the speaker’s claim THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Non-circularity • Claim must not be part of the basis for believing in the truth of the reason • Argument making is directional THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Four Tests for Evaluating Arguments • • • • • Test #1: Truthfulness of the premises Test #2: Logical strength Test #3: Relevance Test #4: Non-circularity Argument making contexts THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Map THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Test #3: Relevance • Test requires making a reasoned judgment that the truth of the conclusion depends upon the truth of the reason • People with knowledge and experience appropriate to context and issues under discussion can easily apply the test THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Test #4: Non-circularity • Requires that a claim is not relied upon a chain of reasoning used to support its own reason • Argument flows in one direction, from reasons and evidence toward the conclusion THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Map THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Map THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Simulation THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Argument Making Contexts • Desire for best knowledge is trumped by the competitive need to vanquish the opposition – Argument making includes the search for facts that support one’s preconceptions • Winning an argument does not guarantee that a best decision is made • Vocabulary used to evaluate arguments must be flexible THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Evaluative Adjectives for Arguments and Their Elements THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Common Reasoning Errors • Fallacies of relevance THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Fallacies of Relevance • Appeals to ignorance – It is false to assume that the absence of a reason for an idea should count as a reason against the idea • Appeals to the mob – One should not assume that because a large group of people believe in something or something, their opinion is correct THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Fallacies of Relevance • Appeals to emotion – False to assume that one’s initial emotional response to an idea, event, story, person, image, or proposal is the best guide for forming reflective fair-minded judgments • Ad hominem attacks – Claims that a person’s ideas must be tainted because the person has some vice or flaw THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Fallacies of Relevance • Straw man fallacy • Assuming that, by refuting a weaker argument among several independent reasons, one has successfully refuted all the reasons for a claim –Includes the practice of attributing to the opposition an argument that is not theirs, and then demolishing that argument THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Fallacies of Relevance • Playing with words fallacy – Exploits problematic vagueness, ambiguity, donkey cart expressions, stereotyping, and slanted language in order to support a claim • Misuse of authority fallacy – False assumption that if a powerful person makes a claim, then the claim must be true THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Discussion Question • Give an example of a recent argument that fails one or more of the four tests for evaluating arguments – State the argument and explain which test or tests it failed and why THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Sketchnote Video THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc ... conclusion THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Map THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Map THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016. .. known as fallacies of relevance THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Chapter Opening Video THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc... reasons can be provided for a given claim THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Map THINK CRITICALLY, FACIONE & GITTENS © 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc Test #3: