The biggest takeaways I got from chapter two were in
relation to the idea of something being reasonable or not and critical
thinking. What we as humans think, see,
or feel is not always reasonable, though it is likely that we can and do
convince ourselves that everything we experience is reasonable. Additionally, depending on what worldview or
sphere we are functioning in, our truths may change. So, taking all of this into consideration,
argumentation is designed to help us make the best decision, even with all of
the challenges that come with making a strong argument. Because we are all making decisions every
single day, argumentation is a vital part of our lives. We need to learn to and practice criticizing
all arguments we come across and pick and choose the best aspects of each. Part of this is becoming more aware of the
biases, stereotypes, and presumptions that we all have from where we grew up,
how we were raised, and the people we associate with. This is necessary both when making and
hearing arguments. If we can better
understand the nuances of argumentation, we can better discern the true core of
an argument that we hear and make a better decision. Also, we can better form our arguments to
increase the likelihood that it is appreciated and accepted by whomever we are trying
to convince.
Chapter five focuses primarily on identifying and developing propositions for problems that people think are relevant. It goes over 6 steps for choosing a valid proposition based on a perceived “feeling of doubt.” While all six steps may not be necessary, the collectively ensure a well thought out and firm proposition. The six steps include identifying the question, surveying implicated objectives (or understanding what is the goal accomplishment in regard to the question), searching for new information, considering alternative options, considering costs and risks of each potential proposition, and then finally choosing one of the propositions. The authors then go on to talk about analyzing and strengthening the proposition chosen. This includes identification and ranking of the issues that the proposition addresses as well as understanding how the decision makers will react to these issues and propositions. In general, with all these methods of critically analyzing the proposition, ...
I totally agree with you about the authors’ statement that different worldviews from people might change the way we perceive things, therefore it is extremely important to for us to practice critical thinking skills and use argumentation for better decision in our lives (which is what you focused on on your post). Take myself as an example, I always get overwhelmed by countless news and hot topics from social media every single day, and I have tended to only glance at the headlines or abstracts from the news because I don’t have time to read all of them. And one time when I brought up a controversial news to my roommate during chat, she didn’t show her opinion immediately, and she said that I should get more details about the news since I only saw the title. I admit that she is right and I should get rid of the habit of only focusing on title, since it would be easier to be biased and blinded. I think it is not easy for us to remember critical thinking all the time, and that’s why being reasonable for best decision is vital for both individual and society.
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