Chapter 7

Analyzing Arguments

Objectives:

- To see the logical structures of short arguments

- To add clarity to long and confusing arguments
 Part 1

Diagramming Short Arguments

 Arguments – Review

Arguments consist of premises and

conclusions.

Premises and conclusions are statements.

 Arguments – Review
Premise indicator words:

since, because, for, given that, seeing that, considering that, inasmuch as,

as, in view of the fact that, as indicated by, judging from, on account of

Conclusion indicator words:

therefore, thus, hence, consequently, so, accordingly, it follows that, for

this reason, that is why, which shows that, wherefore, this implies that, as

a result, this suggests that, this being so, we may infer that, etc.
 Diagramming Short Arguments

Argument:

The death penalty should be abolished because it’s

racially discriminatory, there’s no evidence that it’s
more effective than life imprisonment, and
innocent people may be executed by mistake.
 Diagramming Short Arguments
Step 1: Identify (circle, underline, etc.) all premise
and / or conclusion indicators.

The death penalty should be abolished because

it’s racially discriminatory, there’s no evidence that
it’s more effective than life imprisonment, and
innocent people may be executed by mistake.
 Diagramming Short Arguments

Step 2: Number the statements consecutively as

they appear in the argument.

1. The death penalty should be abolished

2. because it’s racially discriminatory,
3. there’s no evidence that it’s more effective than life
imprisonment, and
4. innocent people may be executed by mistake.
 Diagramming Short Arguments

Step 3: Arrange the numbers on a page with

the premises placed above the conclusion(s)
they claim to support.

2) 3) 4)

1)
 Diagramming Short Arguments
Step 4: Omit any logically irrelevant statements.

Step 5: Use arrows to mean ‘is offered as evidence for’

to show the relationship of argument support.

2) 3) 4)

1)

2), 3), and 4) offer independent support for the

conclusion.
 Independent vs. Linked Support
■ Example 1
1) Nick doesn’t own a car.
2)He has poor vision.
3) He lives near the stadium.
4) So, Nick probably won’t drive a car to the game.

■ Example 2
1) No student skipping Chapter 7 can do well on the writing test.
2) Henry skipped Chapter 7.
3) So, Henry couldn’t do well on the writing test.
 Diagramming Short Arguments

Independent support: does not weaken or destroy any

other premise but offers less support for the conclusion
1) 2) 3)

4)
Linked support: works cooperatively with another premise
to support the conclusion
1) + 3)

2)
 Linked or Independent Support?

1. Tom is probably a BT student (1). I saw him in the Biotech

lab yesterday (2). Last week he was reading a textbook of
Chemistry in the library (3). He often discusses topics of life
science (4).

Independent support

2. Amy is a marathon runner (1). She is probably very fit (2),

given that if a person runs marathons, then he/she is probably
very fit (3).

Linked support
 Other Kinds of Support
1) Jim is an elderly man.
2) So, Jim probably doesn’t like hip-hop music.
3) So, Jim probably won’t be going to the underground music
showcase tonight.

1)

2)

3)
 Other Kinds of Support
Example

Most IU students are BA majors, and An is an IU student. Thus, An is probably a

BA major. Therefore, An probably supports the contest for potential business
leaders, because most BA majors support the contest for potential business leaders.

1) Most IU students are BA majors

2) An is an IU student
3) An is probably a BA major
4) An probably supports the contest for potential business leaders
5) most BA majors support the contest for potential business leaders
 Other Kinds of Support
Example
Most IU students are BA majors, and An is an IU student. Thus, An is probably a
BA major. Therefore, An probably supports the contest for potential business
leaders, because most BA majors support the contest for potential business leaders.

1) Most IU students are BA majors

2) An is an IU student
3) An is probably a BA major
4) An probably supports the contest for
potential business leaders
5) most BA majors support the contest for
potential business leaders
 Other Kinds of Support

Cheating is wrong. First, it will lower your self-respect, because you can never be proud of
anything you got by cheating. Second, cheating is a lie because it deceives other people into
thinking you know more than you do. Third, cheating violates the teacher’s trust that you will
do your own work. Fourth, cheating is unfair to all the people who aren’t cheating. Finally, if
you cheat in school now, you’ll find it easier to cheat in other situations later in life – perhaps
even in your closest personal relationships.

1) cheating is wrong
2) it will lower your self-respect
3) because you can never be proud of anything you got by cheating
4) cheating is a lie
5) because it deceives other people into thinking you know more than you do
6) cheating violates the teacher’s trust that you will do your own work
7) cheating is unfair to all the people who aren’t cheating
8) if you cheat in school now, you’ll find it easier to cheat in other situations later in life –
perhaps even in your closest personal relationships
 Other Kinds of Support
1) cheating is wrong
2) it will lower your self-respect
3) because you can never be proud of anything you got by cheating
4) cheating is a lie
5) because it deceives other people into thinking you know more than you do
6) cheating violates the teacher’s trust that you will do your own work
7) cheating is unfair to all the people who aren’t cheating
8) if you cheat in school now, you’ll find it easier to cheat in other situations later in life –
perhaps even in your closest personal relationships
 Tips on Diagramming Short Arguments

1. Pay close attention to premise and conclusion indicators.

2. Find the main conclusion and analyze it carefully.
3. Number the statements and/or expressions of cause-effect.
Note: Compound and complex sentences contain two or more separate statements.

4. Treat conditional statements (if-then) and disjunctive

statements (either-or) as single statements.
5. Don’t diagram irrelevant statements.
6. Don’t diagram redundant statements.
 Diagram the argument

Two teenagers saw the movie, "Natural Born Killers," so they went out on a serial killing. A
number of teenagers have committed violence at schools as a result of their many hours’
playing video games filled with murder and violence. We must have some stricter controls on
the content of entertainment viewed by teenagers.

(1)two teenagers saw the movie, "Natural Born

Killers"
(2) so they went out on a serial killing
(3) a number of teenagers have committed
violence at schools
(4) as a result of their many hours’ playing video
games filled with murder and violence
(5) we must have some stricter controls on the
content of entertainment viewed by teenagers
 Diagram the argument

We cannot ignore the disastrous effects of TV on children. It appears to shorten the attention
span of the young. It also seems to erode their linguistic powers and ability to handle
mathematical symbolism. Television also changes their character in a negative way because
violent programs increasingly make them impatient and cruel. More seriously, television opens all
of society's secrets and taboos, thus it erases the dividing line between childhood and adulthood.

(1) We cannot ignore the disastrous effects of TV on children.

(2) It appears to shorten the attention span of the young.
(3) It also seems to erode their linguistic powers and ability to handle mathematical symbolism.
(4) Television also changes their character in a negative way
(5) Violent programs increasingly make them impatient and cruel.
(6) More seriously, television opens all of society's secrets and taboos.
(7) It erases the dividing line between childhood and adulthood.
 Diagram the argument

We cannot ignore disastrous effects of TV on children. It appears to shorten the attention span
of the young. It also seems to erode their linguistic powers and ability to handle mathematical
symbolism. Television also changes their character in a negative way because violent programs
increasingly make them impatient and cruel. More seriously, television opens all of society's
secrets and taboos, thus it erases the dividing line between childhood and adulthood.

(1) We cannot ignore disastrous effects of TV on children.

(2) It appears to shorten the attention span of the young.
(3) It also seems to erode their linguistic powers and ability to handle mathematical symbolism.
(4) Television also changes their character in a negative way
(5) Violent programs increasingly make them impatient and cruel.
(6) More seriously, television opens all of society's secrets and taboos.
(7) It erases the dividing line between childhood and adulthood.
Task: Number the statements, clarify the references and diagram the
following argument:
President Donald Trump on the election result (November 8, 2020)

“Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to
ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated. The
American People are entitled to an honest election: counting all legal ballots,
and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has
full confidence in our election. It remains shocking that the Biden campaign
refuses to agree with this basic principle and wants ballots counted even if they
are fraudulent, manufactured, or cast by ineligible or deceased voters. Only a
party engaged in wrongdoing would unlawfully keep observers out of the count
room and then fight in court to block their access.”

https://apnews.com/article/transcript-statement-donald-trump-
 Task: Number the statements, clarify the references and diagram the
following argument:
President Donald Trump on the election result (November 8, 2020)

1. Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully
upheld and the rightful winner is seated.
2. The American People are entitled to an honest election: counting all legal ballots, and not counting any
illegal ballots.
3. (This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our election).
4. The Biden campaign refuses to agree with this basic principle.
5. (The Biden campaign) wants ballots counted even if they are fraudulent, manufactured, or cast by
ineligible or deceased voters.
6. Only a party (Biden’s Democratic Party) engaged in wrongdoing would unlawfully keep observers out of
the count room and then fight in court to block their access.
5 6

2 + 4
1
Task: Number the statements, and diagram CHATGPT’s argument:
 Part 2

Summarizing extended arguments

 What does an extended argument look like?

Professor Jack W. Meiland, offering advice to college students:

There is one question which you should not ask, nor feel
any temptation to ask, your instructor. That question is:
“Will this be on the exam?” This question infuriates many
instructors, and rightly so. For this question indicates that
your main interest is in getting through the course with a
good grade rather than in learning what the instructor has
to teach. It is insulting to the teacher who has worked hard
to put you in a position to appreciate the material - its
intrinsic interest, its subtlety, its complexity.
 Argument standardization

Purpose: to provide a summary of the argument that

accurately restates the main points.
Argument standardization = a method for summarizing
extended arguments.
Two important skills of argument analysis:
1. Paraphrasing

2. Finding missing premises and conclusions

 Characteristics of a good paraphrase

accurate clear

concise charitable
 Skill 1. Paraphrasing

1. Be accurate: don’t misrepresent (like straw man)

Example: Europe has a set of primary interests, which to us

have no, or a very remote relation to ours.
(1). Europe’s vital interests are totally different than ours.
(2). Europe has a set of vital interests which are of little or
no concern to us.
Comment: (1) changes the original meaning; (2) is an
accurate paraphrase.
 Skill 1. Paraphrasing (cont)

2. Be clear: Take confusion way and make it understandable.

 Skill 1. Paraphrasing (cont)

3. Be concise: get to the bare essentials

Example: The office wasn’t open at that point in time,
owing to the fact that there was no electrical power
in the building.

Paraphrase: The office was closed then because

there was no electricity in the building.
 Skill 1. Paraphrasing (cont)

4. Be charitable: Again, avoid straw man

Example: Cigarette smoking causes lung cancer. Therefore, if
you continue to smoke, you are endangering your health.
1. Cigarette smoking guarantees that you will get lung cancer.
Continue to smoke and you will be unhealthy.
2. Cigarette smoking is a positive causal factor that increases
the risk of lung cancer. If you continue to smoke, you risk being
unhealthy.

Comment: (1) changes the original meaning by making the situation more
serious than it actually is; (2) is an accurate paraphrase.
 Task: Choose the best paraphrase

Black Friday does not really offer discounted deals because many
suppliers set extremely high prices and then “discount” them.
Which of the following is a good paraphrase?
A. Black Friday does not attract a large number of buyers because its
prices are too high at the beginning.
B. Customers are not really interested in online sales on Black Friday
because it sets cutting prices.
C. Due to many of its much higher initial prices, Black Friday is not a
sales promotion indeed.
D. Many customers do not care about Black Friday because they put
quality before prices.
Skill 2. Finding missing premises and conclusions

People often leave premises or conclusions out of their

arguments.
Identifying missing premises: If there isn’t enough support
for the conclusion, determine what is needed to support the
conclusion and insert it.

Example: ‘You’re under 21. Therefore, I can’t sell you beer.’

Missing major premise: ‘It is illegal to sell beer to those
under 21.’
Or: ‘By law, I can’t sell beer to anyone under 21.’
Task: Find the missing (major/minor) premises or conclusion and insert them
to make good arguments (deductively sound or inductively cogent)

a. I must register my course schedule for next Semester 1. I’m a fresher.

Missing major premise: According to IU policy, all freshers register their

schedule for next Semester 1 when they reach their 2nd year.

b. IU has various clubs which develop soft skills. Soft skills are increasingly

required by employers.

Missing conclusion: So, high chances are that most IUers join one of these

clubs.

c. You can’t skip Quiz 3. It is indicated in the syllabus that students take at

least three quizzes to be qualified for the final exam.

Missing minor premise: You just took Quiz 1 and Quiz 2.

 Summarizing extended arguments: what to do?

1. Read carefully to identify the main conclusion (or

if it is missing).
2. Omit unnecessary/irrelevant statement.
3. Number the steps; put the conclusion first or last.
4. Fill in any missing premises or conclusions.
 Summarizing extended arguments: What to avoid

1. Don’t write incomplete sentences

Error:
Because animals can experience pain and suffering. Therefore, it’s
wrong to kill or mistreat animals.

Correct:
Animals can experience pain and suffering. Therefore, it’s wrong
to kill or mistreat animals.

“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find
an easy way to do it.” Bill Gates

“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. This is because a lazy person

will find an easy way to do it.” Bill Gates
 Summarizing extended arguments: What to avoid

2. Don’t include more than one statement per line.

Error:
The CEO should resign since he no longer gains the
confidence of the share holders.
Correct:
1. The CEO no longer gains the confidence of the
share holders.
2. Therefore, the CEO should resign.
 Summarizing extended arguments: What to avoid

3. Don’t include non-statements.

Error:
1. Trump and Biden are both American presidents, unlike
me a Vietnamese.
2. So why should I care about American politics?
Correct:
3. Trump and Biden are both American presidents, but I’m a
Vietnamese.
4. So I have no reason to care about American politics.
 Summarizing extended arguments: What to avoid

4. Don’t include anything that is not a premise or a conclusion.

Error:
1. Critical thinking is both a professional and life skill.
2. All non-political courses at IU are taught in English.”
3. Critical Thinking is a non-political course.
4. Therefore, Critical Thinking is taught in English at IU.
(from 2,3)

Tip: (1) doesn’t support the conclusion, so leave it out of the

standardized argument.
 Practice: Standardize this argument

Professor Jack W. Meiland, offering advice to college students:

There is one question which you should not ask, nor feel any
temptation to ask, your instructor. That question is: “Will this be on the
exam?” This question infuriates many instructors, and rightly so. For this
question indicates that your main interest is in getting through the
course with a good grade rather than in learning what the instructor has
to teach. It is insulting to the teacher who has worked hard to put you in
a position to appreciate the material - its intrinsic interest, its subtlety,
its complexity.
 Standardized argument 1
Professor Jack W. Meiland, offering advice to college students:

(1)You should not ask your instructor about the exam contents. First, (2)your
question indicates that you’re more interested in a good grade rather than in
learning, so (3)it makes your instructor angry. Second, (4)this question is insulting
to your instructor because (5)he/she has made great efforts to inspire you with
the lesson.
2 5

3 4

1
 Standardized argument 2

Professor Jack W. Meiland, offering advice to college students:

(1) Your question about the exam contents indicates that you’re more interested in a

good grade rather than in learning, so (2)it makes your instructor angry. (3)This question

is also insulting to your instructor because (4)he/she has made great efforts to inspire you

with the lesson. (5)For those reasons, you should not ask your instructor about the exam

contents.
 Practice: Standardize this argument

My opinion regarding the amount of homework a child receives is basically

threefold. I don’t believe the children should receive any homework
whatsoever. One, because the teacher has seven or eight hours during the
course of the school day to instruct children and do assignments with them,
to review material for tests. They do not need to be sending work home. To
me, homework is an excuse for a teacher’s lack of ability to do their job
properly. Two, there are too many children that come home with either no
adult there or no adult with the ability to help them with their homework.
That places too many children at a disadvantage compared to other children
who have their parents there to help them with their homework. Three, an
adult spends eight hours at work, comes home, and has the rest of the day
to enjoy themselves. That is a luxury that a child should definitely be
afforded. They don’t need to spend time after school. Teacher, it is time to
wake up.
 Standardized argument

Children should not be given any homework for three

reasons. First, they work enough with their teachers in class
for eight hours, so no more assignments or review materials
are needed at home. Second, homework is an obstacle for
too many children who have no adult relatives to help or
unable to help. Third, like adults, children need a rest after 8
hours at school.
 Assignment

Do the FIVE tasks in the next slides.

Link to submit:

https://forms.gle/opF3J4q8yyPJtu5v9

Note: Delete lesson slides; only keep the assignment slides.

 Task 1: Number the statements and diagram the argument

Online dating is becoming more and more popular

nowadays. It is convenient because customers can save
time by browsing through others’ profiles to get a truthful
assessment of an individual. Video dates and virtual dates
also add to the convenience of online dating. Online dating
sites are very secure because they make use of features
such as screen names and internal email, and these
features can ensure customers’ confidentiality. This model
of cyberspace dating is very effective as it brings high
marriage rates to customers. To illustrate, eHarmony.com
has matched up to 50,000 couples successfully.
 Task 2: Number the statements and diagram the argument

Computer games separate young players, including children, from society.

These players, hence, cannot learn the important lessons that require social
interaction. In addition, these games only focus on patterns. That is why
children do not develop their mental skills well if they are addicted to
computer games. Unlike traditional games which teach children how to work
in a team or how to solve problems, computer games give children no
preparation for their future work or life. If you are parents, remove or block
games on the computers that your children use. All in all, computer games
influence young people negatively.
 Task 3: Number the statements and diagram the argument

To many IUers, the summer semester is not really discouraging. This

semester is also called the third semester at college. A large number of
first-year IUers have to spend one or two semesters on classes of
intensive English, so the summer semester helps them shorten their
college time. This 3rd semester is half length of the regular semesters,
so IU lecturers plan more focused lesson contents. The mid-term exam
at IU is also combined with class time; therefore, its test contents are
more or less adapted. Nevertheless, the summer semester takes away
the fun moments which most IUers look forward to.
 Task 4: Indicate the premises and the conclusion, then summarize the argument.

Television can play an important role in educating children, but its

overwhelming influences are really worrying. Television is an essential
device in nearly all household. Television has been increasingly replacing
the traditional roles of families and schools, so children’s attitudes and
behavior have been changed as a result. Advertisements of processed
foods and drinks are so frequent on TV, which causes children to consume
more and more unhealthy foods. TV commercials need to be limited.
Children may watch violent scenes on TV and they become more and
more aggressive. This is because parental attention is not always
available.
 Task 5: Standardize this argument and diagram it

When we join public pages or groups of the same interests on social

media, we can learn from other members’ contributions and thus, we can
have more knowledge or skills what may take us a lot more time to
acquire if we do the other ways like joining schools or face-to-face study
groups. Social media can be such a fun and entertaining way to
communicate, catch up, and keep in touch with family and friends who
are far away. The means of interactive communication allows users to
call, by voice and on video, or text, or chat, or comment and reply to
comments on their posts. Then on the other spectrum, it is very
important to know that social media can be a dangerous place as well.
We hear lots of stories about online predators, catfishing and other
stories like that. It is important to know the dangers of social media and
be wary of them. More, it can be such a political, religious, gossip column
that leads so many to take others' views, comments and opinions out of
context that it becomes an almost evil entity. Not to mention that I feel
certain subjects and info shouldn't be shared if it isn't their business to
do so such as suicide news or notes, along with personal addresses and
so forth. Like everything in this life, social media can be a beneficial and
harmful environment."
 Task 5: Standardize this argument and diagram it

Standardized argument:

Numbered statements:
Diagramming:
 Task 6: Cite a real-life argument, standardize it with numbered statements, and diagram it

Argument

Numbered statements:

Diagramming:

Source:
Week 10 – Attendance
 Project Preparation

Assignment: Each group is required to select an input

video of + 3 minutes (in English or Vietnamese) about
a controversial topic or with controversial contents.
Preferences are given to most popular or recent clips.

Specific tasks will be given next week.

THANK YOU