Today’s Quote

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Todays Quote

• Use soft words and hard arguments
• English Proverb

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Parts of an Argument I

• Claim an expressed opinion or conclusion
• e.g. CSI is an excellent TV show

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Parts of an Argument II

• Claim
• Evidence observable or previously accepted
  statements
• e.g. It has good acting, good writing and good
  production.

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Parts of an Argument III

• Claim
• Evidence
• Reasoning constructs a reasonable and rational
  link between the evidence and the claim.
• e.g. Good acting, writing and production are the
  key elements of a good TV drama.

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Listen UP!

• Decide if the statement you hear is an argument
  or not.

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Foundations of Critical Thinking

• Questioning Habit
• Perspective Taking
• Clarifying Meaning and Assumptions
• Evaluating Support
• Engaging in Critical Inferences and Comparison

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Characteristics of Critical Thinking

• Clarity could you illustrate what you mean?
• Accuracy could we find out if that is true?
• Precision could you be more specific?

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Characteristics of Critical Thinking

• Relevance how does that help us with this issue?
• Depth what factors make this a difficult
  problem?
• Breadth what other points of view need to be
  considered?

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Characteristics of Critical Thinking

• Logic does what you say follow from the
  evidence?
• Significance how important is this factor in the
  overall discussion?
• Fairness have we represented various positions
  honestly?

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Characteristics of Critical Thinking

• Clarity
• Accuracy
• Precision
• Relevance
• Depth

• Breadth
• Logic
• Significance
• Fairness

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Application

• Work with a partner to take either the list just
  discussed or the attributes listed in chapter 10
  of the Debaters Guide and prioritize your top
  three. Be able to offer arguments for your
  choices.

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Induction vs. Deduction

• Deduction
• Major Premise
• Categorical truth
• Minor
• Puts specific case in a category
• Conclusion
• Necessarily follows from premises
• Reasons from known to known

• Induction
• Series of minor premises that lead to a probable
  general conclusion
• Reasons from what is known to what is probable.

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Induction
Conclusion
Inference
Information
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Next Time

• Quiz on readings so far and readings due that
  day.
• Discussion of Chapt. 3 in CT
• Discussion of what makes up a good debate topic
  and hearing some of your suggestions.

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