Saturday, October 2, 2010

Repairing Arguments

Example: "History is a tedious subject. Most history classes are long and never-ending. Therefore, you should not take history."

The logic thread in this claim does not flow through as a strong argument. Although there might be some truth to this person's opinions, what's being said is too vague for us to determine whether or not this applies to all history class. For an example, one could question what type of history class we're discussing? Since there are many, the general term "history" does not speak for the different brances of history that we have in schools today. In addition to that,  because this claim seems to be based on strictly opinions, that perspective does not apply to every student. One way to make this argument stronger and a little more valid would be to describe what type of history we're talking about. Second, it would be a bonus to add the little detail explaning why history classes drag on and seems to never stop. At the very end, this person should include several strong reasons why students should not take history if they had a choice. In short, a little more support for this claim would repair it's flaw of being weak.

3 comments:

  1. Quang7, I agree that the argument you listed is a weak one, and should be repaired. I agree with the points that you listed about your argument. Commenting that one should never take history is actually a very opinionated claim. I completely understand and agree that what may apply to one student may not apply to the other. Additionally, maybe another individual might actually think the tediousness, length, and never ending history classes are actually of personal interest. One of the premises is to provide more support in order to make the argument valid or stronger, as you listed. This argument could definitely use more work.

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  2. Hey QUANG7, I definitely liked the example you listed. It it clear right away that the argument is very vague, thus making it weak, so it really does need some repairing! I also think the repairs you listed would help a lot in making the argument stronger. What I would do is to change the conclusion to "Students who don't like tedious and long classes should not take history." This makes the argument stronger, which is one of the criteria for repairing an argument. Either way, there are many ways that you can approach an argument in order to repair it!

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  3. This is a good example of an argument that needs repairing. The premises make sense and are somewhat factual (although slightly opinionated as well). However, the conclusion does not follow the premises. Whether or not history is tedious, or long and boring, we can’t jump to the conclusion that you should not take history. There is something missing that would make that conclusion logical. However, it will still be hard to make that a solid conclusion. One, even though it is a boring subject, it is a requirement class we have to take. Also, there are lots of things in life that we have to do that may be boring or tedious. Good example, very easy to relate to.

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