Chapter 7

Standardization

a method for summarizing longer arguments.Consists of restating an argument in standard logical form.

independent support

a premise provides it for a conclusion when it provides a separate,freestanding reason for accepting the conclusion and when the amount of support it provides would not be weakened or destroyed by the removal of any other premise in the argument

Common mistakes to avoid in standardizing arguments

1. Don't write in incomplete sentences.2. Don't include more than one statement per line. 3. Don't include anything that is not a statement.4. Don't include anything that is not a premise or conclusion.

Two basic rules in filling in missing steps in enthymemes

1. Faithfully interpret the arguers intentions. The most important rule is to be as accurate as possible in interpreting an arguer's intent. we should always try to fill in a missing step in an argument in away that the arguer would recognize as expressing his own thought. All assumptions must be consistent with everything an arguer says. 2. Be charitable. Sometimes its hard or impossible to know what unstated premise or conclusion an arguer had in mind. In such cases the principle of charity requires that we interpret the argument as generously as possible. In general this means that we should search for a way of completing the argument that (A) is a plausible way of interpreting the arguer's uncertain intent and (B) makes the argument as good an argument as it can be.

Standardizing Method

1. Read through the argument carefully and try to identify its main conclusion. Go back through argument and identify major premises and subconclusions offered in support of the main conclusion.2. Omit any unnecessary or irrelevant material.Omit any statement that provides little or no direct support for the main conclusion. 3. Number the steps in the argument and stack them in correct logical order. State the main conclusion last.4. fill in any key missing premises or conclusions. Include only the important missing premises or conclusions. Place brackets around implied statement to show that they have been added. 5. Add parenthetical justifications for each conclusion in the argument.

Tips on Diagramming Arguments

1. find the main conclusion first.2.pay close attention to premise and conclusion indicators.3. remember that sentences containing the word and often contain two or more separate statements.4. treat conditional statements and disjunctive statements as single statements.5. Don't number or diagram any sentence that is not a statement.6. Don't diagram irrelevant statements.7.Don't diagram redundant statements.

Diagramming method

1. read the argument and circle any premise and conclusion indicators you see.2. number the statements consecutively as they appear in the argument.3. arrange the numbers on a page with premises placed above the conclusions they are claimed to support.4. omit any logically irrelevant statements that is, statements that don't function as either premises or conclusions in the argument.5. using arrows to mean "is offered as evidence for" create a kind of flowchart that indicates relationships of argumentative support.

linked support

a premise provides it for a conclusion when it works conjointly with another premise to support the conclusion and when the amount of support it provides would be weakened or destroyed by the removal of any other premise in the argument

Enthymeme

an argument with a missing premise or conclusion.

paraphrase

detailed restatement of a passage using different words and phrases. a good paraphrase is accurate, clear, concise, and charitable.

Standard Logical Form

each step of the argument is numbered consecutively, premises are stated above the conclusions they are claimed to support and justifications are provided for each conclusion in the argument

An Accurate paraphrase

is faithful to an author's intended meaning; it reproduces that meaning fairly and without bias or distortion.

diagramming

quick and easy way to analyze relatively short arguments.

A Concise Paraphrase

strips away all the irrelevant or unimportant details and puts the key points of the argument in a nutshell. it often necessary to paraphrase portions of arguments that can be stated more briefly than they are by the author.

independent premises

the premises are independent because the amount of support provided by one of the premises would not be reduced or destroyed even if every other premise in the argument were omitted. they are independent because neither premise would lose any power to support the conclusion if the other premise were removed

A charitable paraphrase

the princiable of charity requires that we interpret the passage as charitably as the evidence reasonably permits.

Analyze an argument

to break it down into its various parts to see clearly what conclusion is defended and on what grounds

A Clear Paraphrase

to clarify what an argument is saying it's often necessary to translate complex or confusing language into language that is easier to understand.

argument summary

to provide a synopsis of the argument that accurately restates the main points in the summarizer's own words. the purpose is to clarify an argument's structure by restating its main points as briefly,clearly,and accurately as possible.

Linked premises

validly imply the conclusion. They are linked because the amount of support provided by one of the premises would be reduced if the other premise were omitted.