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Evaluating Arguments

ClarityIs the argument clear and unambiguous?(Boss, 2012, p. 184)

CredibilityAre your reasons supported by proof?

RelevanceAre the reasons directly connected to your conclusion?

Completeness

Are there any unstated reasons or conclusions?

SoundnessAre you reasons true?

Do your reasons support your conclusion?

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FallaciesCompleteness

Are there any unstated premises and conclusions (Boss, 2012, p. 184)? Fallacies are devoid of completeness, because I may be omitting premises or simply just not want to be truthful.My personal example of this is when I had an argument with my friend.

I told my friend that his desire to attend a community college was stupid. However, I left out that premise that I had a personal bias against his choice of colleges and why I had those feelings.

Dowden, B. (n.d.). Fallacy. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved fromhttp://www.iep.utm.edu/fallacy/

A Fallacy is a kind of error in reasoning (http://www.iep.utm.edu/fallacy/)7

Fallacies (Part 2)Soundness

A sound argument is one in which the premises are true and they support the conclusion (Boss, 2012, p. 184)My personal experience with soundness is:

I was trying to win an argument with my mom about a friends character and since I didnt have premises that were true, I chose to personally attack the person I was talking about to make my point seem correct when in fact, it was not true.

summaryIn conclusion I have learned that the process for evaluating arguments is crucial to becoming an effective and fair critical thinker.When it comes to fallacies, I have a lot of work to do when it comes to overcoming personal biases, errors in thinking, and examining my own attitudes and world views as well as how these relate to the world in which I live and also the way I communicate with others both verbally and in the written and professional worlds.My love of wisdom serves me well as it makes me an excellent student, a more effective critical thinker and in my future career, it really will make me a more effective boss, teacher, and happy useful individual.