Bassham5 Powerpoint Lecturenotes Ch02

Critical Thinking
Chapter 2
Recognizing Arguments
McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2013 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved.

What is an argument?
(What is a statement?)
• Statement: a sentence/utterance that can be

viewed as either true or false.
• Argument: group of statements, one or more of
which is/are intended to prove or support another
statement.
• Premises: statements in an argument offered as
evidence or reasons why one should accept
another statement.
• The Conclusion: the statement that the premises2
support/prove.
What is a statement?
• Examples:
– Red is a color. (physical statement)
– Abortion is morally wrong. (moral statement)
– The Matrix is a better movie than Titanic. (evaluative statement)
• Non-Examples:
– What time is it? (question)
– Close the window! (command)
– Oh, my goodness! (exclamation)
• Statement test: Does it make sense to put “it is true that”
or “it is false that” in front of it? If so, it is a statement. If 3
not, it’s not.
Tricky statements
• Rhetorical question: a sentence that has the grammatical

form of a question but is meant to be understood as a
statement.
– Don’t you know smoking will kill you?
• (means: Smoking will kill you.)
– How am I supposed to do that?
• (means: I can’t do that.)
• Ought imperative: a sentence that has the form of a
command but is a statement about what ought to be done.
– “Do X!” really means “You should do X.”
– “Don’t blow dry your hair in the tub!” really means “You should not
blow dry your hair in the tub.” 4
Identifying Premises and Conclusions
Indicators provide clues that premises or

conclusions are put forward.
• Premise indicators: since, for, seeing that,
inasmuch as, in view of the fact that, because, as,
given that
• Conclusion indicators: therefore, hence, so, it
follows that, wherefore, thus, consequently.
• But they are only indicators, they are not flawless.
Many times they are absent; sometimes they are5
misleading.
Finding Conclusions Without Indicators
• Find the main issues; determine the author’s

position.
• Look at the beginning and end; it’s usually there.
• See which statement “therefore” fits best in front
of.
• The because trick (fill in the blank): The arguer
believes (conclusion) because (premise(s)).
6
What are not arguments
• Reports: statements made to convey information.

– “More people moved to the south this year.”
– “Oil prices dropped today, thus so did gas prices.”
• Notice that, even though there is a conclusion indicator, this is still a
report.
• Unsupported Assumptions: when someone puts forth what
they believe but does not intend for any of their
statements to support another.
– People aren’t afraid of dying; they are afraid of not living.
– People like this course because of the professor.
7
• Notice the presence of a premise indicator, but not a premise.
What Is Not An Argument
Conditional (“if-then”) statements:

e.g.,: If it rains, the picnic will be cancelled.
Most common forms: If A then B; B if A.
• Antecedent: usually, the part that directly follows
“if.”
• Consequent: Usually, the part that follows “then”
But conditionals don’t always have “if” or “then”
e.g., In the event of rain, the picnic will be 8
cancelled.
More On Conditional Statements
• Conditionals are not arguments, but they can look like them.
– Conditional: If I was taller I would play basketball.
– Argument: I am tall, so I would make a good basketball player.
• If Rhode Island was larger than Ohio, and Ohio was larger than Texas,
then Rhode Island would be larger than Texas.
– This is a conditional statement; “If the first two things are true, then the
third is true.”
• If Bob is taller than Chris then Bob is taller than Ann. If Bob is taller
than Ann, then Bob is taller then Lori. Thus, if Bob is taller than Chris
then Bob is taller than Lori.
– This is an argument. The latter follows from the two former statements.
• Chain arguments: consist of conditional statements.
– If A then B. If B then C. Therefore, if A then C.
– e.g., If Allen moves I will be all alone. If I am all alone then I will be sad.9So
if Allen moves I will be sad.
• Illustrations: examples of a claim.

– Many wildflowers are edible. For example, daises and
day lilies are delicious in salads.
• Be careful. Some arguments can look like
illustrations because they use “counter
examples.”
– Many people think that all Star Trek fans are zit faced
nerds. But that is not true. For example, Christian
Slater is a Star Trek fan and he is not a zit faced nerd.
10
• Explanation: tries to show why something is the case (not

argue that it is the case).
– Usually offers up a causal explanation for something that is
already accepted as true.
• Titanic sank because it struck an iceberg. (explanation)
• Capital Punishment is wrong because it is murder. (argument)
• Explanandum: what is explained (the event).
• Explanans: the explanation (the cause).
“Explanadum” because “Explanans.”
• “I ski because I think it is fun.” (explanation)
11
• “You should ski because it is fun.” (argument)
Arguments vs. Explanation
(how to tell the difference)
• The Common-Knowledge Test

– If it points at something that is common knowledge, it is probably
an explanation.
• Most people don’t present arguments for things people already
believe.
Example: “TV is very influential in society because most people
watch it.”
• The Past-Event Test
– If it points at a past event, it is probably an explanation.
– Usually people don’t argue “X occurred.”
Example: “The US entered WWII because of Japan’s attack on Pearl
12
Harbor.”
Arguments vs. Explanation
(how to tell the difference)
• The Author’s Intent Test: Ask if the person making the

statement is trying to “prove” something or explain why
something is true.
– You want a college degree because you want a better life.
• The Principle of Charity Test:
– The Principle of Charity: interpret generously (give the author of
the statement a break). If what he said would be a bad argument,
but it could be interpreted as an example (or explanation) assume
it is not an argument.
– The Test: If you have a choice between interpreting a statement as
a “bad argument” or an “unsatisfactory explanation,” do the latter.
13
A bad argument is a worse mistake.

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What is the difference between an argument and a statement?

What are some examples of statements?

Critical Thinking

McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2013 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved.

• Statement: a sentence/utterance that can be

• Rhetorical question: a sentence that has the grammatical

Indicators provide clues that premises or

• Find the main issues; determine the author’s

• Reports: statements made to convey information.

Conditional (“if-then”) statements:

• Illustrations: examples of a claim.

• Explanation: tries to show why something is the case (not

• The Common-Knowledge Test

• The Author’s Intent Test: Ask if the person making the

A bad argument is a worse mistake.

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