Diagramming Arguments 2

Lecture 5

April 23, 2007

I. Practicing Three Main Skills

1. How to tell when someone is presenting an argument to you.

2. How to identify the components of an argument.

3. How to show the structure of an argument through:

a. Putting the argument into standard form.

b. Diagramming the argument.

II. Things To Look Out For

1. Instead of presenting an argument, they could simply be making a statement of (alleged) fact, without presenting any support for the position.

2. They could also be providing a description or explanation which may look like an argument.

3. They could be presenting a thought experiment without presenting an argument.