WhatisArgument.ppt

1、What is Argument?,Major Ingredients that Constitute Argument,Definition of Argument Critical Thinking Logical Thinking Two Ways of Thinking: Deduction and Induction (Audience) ( 3 Basic types of Argument),Definition of argument An argument can be defined as a statement or a set of statements used in

2、 order to try to convince others that your opinion about an issue is correct. . an attempt to demonstrate the truth of an assertion An argument is a reasoned and researched claim,Claim:,Assertion put forward publicly for general acceptance,Toulmin:1979,e.g Smoking shorten ones life span.,Tobacco ind

3、ustry should be banned.,Listen to the tape,Why people argue? we are different individuals and see things differently. We often argue because we want others believe we are right and try to persuade others to support us. What is the essence of argument? To develop the argument you must be able to lear

4、n to think critically, to reason.,An argument is related to three terms: topic, issue and claim. Topic: Issue: e.g 1) TVs Disastrous impact on children 2) Shopping on Internet Claim: a statement that expresses individuals belief about an issue,a particular subject matter the writer is considering,an

5、 important subject that people are arguing about ; an issue is a more specific part of the topic,Essence of argument,What is the essence of argument? To develop the argument you must be able to learn to think critically, to reason.,Definition of critical thinking (v. think critically) Think carefull

6、y and independently to form your own opinion. Refrain from taking things for granted before proper examination. Think clearly and rationally. An ability to make analytical evaluations. A reflective and independent thinking,Basic Elements While critical thinking can be defined differently by scholars

7、, the following basic elements are more workable for discussion: multiperspectives- analysis- evaluation-.,examining the issue from different angles,analyzing various parts to see if they fit together; (e.g understand the relevancy/logical connections between ideas;,judging the merit (價(jià)值,好處)of assum

8、ptions (假定, 想法)made and weighing the evidence offered to support those assumptions,detect inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning),An effective argumentation involves a lot of critical thinking: looking at the issue from various angles, examining the various parts to see how they fit togeth

9、er, and judging the merit of assumptions or weighing the evidence offered to support those assumption .,Example 1 Discussion about seasons Q: which is your favorite season? Why? Example 2 Discussion about education systems Q: What is your view on high education tuition systems? Will the new policy r

10、elieve the government of the burden? Is it beyond the financial abilities of most families? Does it make any difference to people in different regions or people working in different sectors? What do the concepts of fairness, equality or freedom of choices mean here?,Example 2 new system & old system

11、 The purpose of the new system The advantage of the new system The current /potential problems with the new system The advantage of the old system The problem with the old system,Example 3 Should China expand its “small car”industry or invest more in improving public transportation systems? Who are

12、for small car industry? How they argue? people esp youth benefiting/making fortune from the reform -supply a variety of cars for them to choose from -facilitate their life -provide more space of freedom automobile industry and other industrial sectors, government -compete with each other -expand the

13、ir business -increase job opportunities,Who are for public transportation system? How they argue? people, esp old, who do not have a lot of disposable income those concerned about environment and pollution -small cars flooding the already congested roads -complaining about waiting too long at bus st

14、ation -no seat,Difference between do some thinking and do some critical thinking Thinking -doing some daydreaming about your seven-day holidays at beach -worrying about your performance in the coming examination or job interview Critical thinking -Thinking about the issue: college students are now p

15、aying for their own education instead of the policy of government-funded education China used to pursue. Q: Is this a good change? Is the new policy fair and reasonable? To whom will it be favorable/harmful ? Try to support your own position and try to see it from different angles/perspectives,2. lo

16、gical thinking in Argumentative Writing 1) Causal Relationship cause effect effect cause 2) Analogies or Comparisons 3) Reasoning- Induction & Deduction An induction is a conclusion that one draws based on experience or experiment. Therefore, an induction, or inductive argument alaways moves from th

17、e specific experience to the general statement or conclusion.,An induction is a conclusion that one draws based on experience or experiment. Therefore, an induction, or inductive argument alaways moves from the specific experience to the general statement or conclusion.,deduction,A reasoning from th

18、e general to the specific. In deductive reasoning we usually start from a general statement, apply it to a specific instance and then draw the conclusion from the logical conclusion between the general and the specific. The procedure in logics is called syllogism, which has 3 parts: major premise, m

19、inor promise and conclusion.,An deductive argument uses the premises of an induction to draw a conclusion about a specific case. All men are mortal. (Major premise) Confucius is a human being. (minor premise) Confucius is mortal. (conclusion),Abbreviated syllogism: enthymeme / enimi:m /,Confucius is

20、 mortal since he is a human being. 1.I dont think I can enter the Group. I am not a little artistically talented kid. (major pre: only artistically talented kid can enter the group) 2.You are a Chinese. Why dont you cheer for your countrys team? (major pre: Chinese spectator should cheer for your co

21、untrys team) 3.Hardworking people are rewarded for their efforts. You will do. (minor pre: you are a hardworking person),Assignment(choose either of the two topics),1. Chinas Military Parade is Not a Threat 2. Should China expand its “small car” industry or invest more in improving public transporta

22、tion systems? 3. Do you think it is right for parents to check their childrens chat records, messages on cell phone?,China Should Expands Its Small Car Industry,Recently, with the rise of small car industry, there appears a new controversy-whether we should support these industry or improve public t

23、ransportation. In my opinion, China should expand its small car industry, for the reasons of enlarging domestic needs, releasing the pressure of public transportation and making peoples life more convenient. As domestic need is one of the most important factors to promote economy, developing small c

24、ar industry is a right action to enlarge domestic need. Actually the rise of small car industry can also spur on related industries such as steel industry, tire manufacturing industry and so on. All the development of these industries will form a big force to push forward our coountrys economy quick

25、ly.,The next reason for expanding small car industry is to lessen the stress of public transportation. As we all know, China has a large population which adds an enomous pressure to public transportation. Since those who can afford private cars do not take buses or taxes, the crowd will be diverted.

26、 This will reduce the number of people who take public transportation. Last but not least, it is very convenient for the citizens if they travel in their cars. It will save their time of waiting for buses or taxis. At the same time, they can plan their journey freely instead of following the travel

27、buses regular route. Generally speaking, expanding small cars industry is a good policy which benefit both Chinas economy and citizens,Parents Should Respect Childrens Privacy Parents should not check childrens chat records or messages on cell phones because they should respect childrens privacy. As

28、 every individual has his or her privacy, children always keep their messages on cell phones too themselves and dislike anyone checking them without permission. In order to show respect to childrens privacy, parents should not check their childrens cell phones.,However, many parents tend to read the

29、ir childrens messages secretly in the name of caring for their growth. It is understandable that some parents worry that their children may have puppy love and being distracted from their studies, so they want to be informed of by reading their messages. Other parents are concerned about their child

30、rens safety so they check their chatting records regularly. Although parents have good reasons to check their parents messages their actions will be counterproductive. If children disciver their parents behaviors, they will feel unhappy as their privacy have been violated and many of them will hold

31、a hostile attitude towards their parents. Whats worse, the trust between parents and children will no longer exist which leads to more misunderstanding. Besides, children will become less open to their parents even if they are reallly in dager or have difficulties.,In all, in order to show respect f

32、or childrens privacy and have good communication and mutual trust, parents should not check their childrens chatting record or messages. Instead they should have more face-to-face talk with their children.,It is understandably necessary that parents should be kept informed of what their children are

33、 doing for fear that their children might be misguided by bad company or even become victims of predators during the course of Internet communication. But,My Views on Parental Supervision of Childrens Communications,Should parents check their childs phone records ? It seems hard to answer this quest

34、ion since pro side and con side can both provide their reasons to support their views.The pro side, on one hand, may claim that parents have obligation to pry into what their child is doing , especially in the age of multimedia communications in which their kid is more prone to misguidance and poten

35、tial jeopardy. The con side, on the other hand, may argue that children, like all the adults, have their own privacy, which needs also protection. When their phone records and diaries are checked without permission, their privacy is violated and their private space is under threat.,Though it is a question whether for parents to pry or no