“to give an argument” means to present a set of reasons to support a conclusion. Many times a conclusion will need to be supported by a good set of reasons. These reasons will be the basis for the audience to draw their own conclusion from. The hope is that the set of reasons will lead the audience to the desired conclusion the one supported by the reasons. To affect a good argument the reasons should be able to explain and defend the conclusion.
2. What are the reasons Weston gives in support of his claim, “arguments are essential”?
One of the reasons Weston gives is arguments are essential in order to discover which view is more desirable than another. Views are not equal and require different types of reasons to support them. Some views will require strong reasons to sway the audience while other will not require such strong arguments. Arguments that are well supported by convincing reasons use those same reasons to explain and defend it.
3. Explain why many students tend to “write an essay, but not an argument”.
Many students when they embark upon the task of writing an argument they will construct highly developed statements based upon their own view and skip over any reasons that support their views. When finished their work has fashioned into an essay instead of an argument paper. Many students when writing a paper have not had to question their own beliefs or those of others they have just had to expound upon the hard facts of the subject presented.
4. Construct two short arguments (one "for" and one "against") as modeled in the Week 3 Assignment section in Blackboard. Put each one in "elements form".
Arguable issue: Whether or not employers should allow employees to work on homework while at work.
Conclusion: Employers should not allow employees to work on homework while at work.
Premises: Employers should not allow employees to work on homework while at work because
(1) doing so prevents the employee from performing their daily duties,
(2) doing so make employees who do not have homework feel like they pick up the slack which can lead to animosity, which in turn can lead these employees to be under productive, and
(3) doing so fosters an environment where employees do not respect the workplace creating an unprofessional environment.
Arguable issue: Whether or not employers should allow employees to work on homework while at work.
Conclusion: Employers should allow employees to work on homework while at work.
Premises: Employers should allow employees to work on homework while at work.because
(1) doing do allows the employee to feel appreciated,
(2) doing so is likely to make the employee willing to go above and beyond to help the employer succeed, and
(3) doing so presents the employer in a positive manner to prospective employees.
5. Review the seven rules in chapter one. Briefly discuss how your argument demonstrates that each rule was applied, in the construction of your arguments above.
By using the “Elements Format” I was able to adhere to Rule 1 distinguish premises and conclusion.
The flow of the reasons is in a sequence order where from one action leads into or cause the following reason adhering to Rule 2 present your ideas in natural order.
My premises supported my conclusion which adheres to Rule 3 start from a reliable premises.
My reasons were straight forward and utilized common terminology adhering to Rule 4 be concrete and concise
I did not use statements that would invoke an emotional response adhering to Rule 5 Avoid loaded language
Contained within my reasons I uses the same terms throughout making the reasons easy to follow which adheres to Rule 6 Use consistent terms
The arguments were fairly simple which did not cause there to be a misinterpretation of the words adhering to Rule 7 Stick to one meaning for each term
6. Review the three rules in the appendix named, “Definitions”. In your own words, discuss how you took these rules into consideration as you constructed your arguments.
I made a point to utilize vocabulary that would not be misunderstood or have a double meaning. Since I did not use terms that could be contested I did not have to worry about clarification. My arguments did not rely on definition to sustain the reasons.
7. Good posts demonstrate:
•Sincere reflection, effort, and analysis
•Answers that are substantial (at least one large paragraph each)
•Consistent mention, citation, and integration of the assigned readings (explained in YOUR own words, though)
•Correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation
•Correctly titled posts!
How many points do you honestly feel your post this week deserves? Justify your answer.
I feel this post deserves full credit as i did all the assigned reading. I put forth a
good effort to apply what was is in the readings into my arguments.
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