Blog Post 1 - Appraising Argumentation

Chapter 2 mainly covers the importance of appraising argumentation critically. According to the text, being able to critically appraise arguments is useful because it allows us to understand how our arguments will be evaluated by others. In turn, we will be able to improve on our own arguments. Moreover, knowledge of how arguments are appraised will also enable us to establish the relevant criteria to judge arguments on, thereby allowing us the make more informed decisions. Thus, argumentation is inherently different from other forms of persuasion as it involves strategies that allow people to make wise decisions. The underlying difference, then, between an uninformed decision and a critical decision, is the fact that critical decisions are made after a certain set of criteria is applied to the information presented, and the best possible outcome is decided upon. To illustrate the difference between a critical decision and an uninformed decision, consider how a newly-wed couple decides on a honeymoon destination. Based on their personal desires, they might iron out a few conditions that their holiday must meet. First, the price of the trip might have to fit within their budget, and the destination might have to be a country that neither of them have been to before. In addition, the destination might need to have a tropical climate or be in its summer months. Therefore, when a travel agency is trying to pitch destinations to this couple, it needs to ensure that their suggestions are fitting into the criteria. As more suggestions are made, the couple also has to evaluate how closely each country adheres to their criteria, and how much they would adjust their criteria to fit other options. Ultimately, the decision made is a critical one. This decision is vastly different from the couple simply picking a destination because the newspaper ad ran by the travel agency caught their attention. Using the principles of argument appraisal, both the couple and the travel agency were operating under the same criteria, allowing both parties to evaluate their arguments and decisions in a critical way.

          Furthermore, in order to appraise arguments, one needs to be aware of the elements of argumentation. The chapter lays out several concepts that are generally understood by all to be present in arguments. These elements, or starting points, are language, facts, presumptions, probabilities, and commonplaces. By understanding how these elements form an argument, one can better identify what part of an argument they are evaluating. For example, in an argument over whether taking notes with a laptop or a notebook boosts students grades more, the presumption of the argument is that taking notes in class improves grades. The argument, then, is not whether students should take notes, but the medium in which they should do so. In appraising the above-mentioned argument, if one is unaware of the presumption, one might base an appraisal on whether class attendance is valuable to learning. In that case, the resulting evaluation of the argument will inherently be inaccurate or unpersuasive.