Skip to main content

Chapter 7

Through chapter seven, different forms of evidence is being discussed and how it can help strengthen and bring credibility to an argument. The most typical forms of evidence is statistical and testimonies, these two forms of evidence are also the most reliable ones. Statistical evidence is viewed as credible because accurate numbers usually displays truth. On the other hand you have testimonies, which can be crucial to decide the outcome of any case. Many murder cases are heavily effected by people’s personal testimonies, if one side of the case, say the defendants, are able to bring in a key witness that saw someone committ a murder than their testimony about how it happened would greatly increase the defendants chances of winning the case. However, how a testimony is delivered is also important, in order to create credibility one would have to have the information organized and be able to present the testimony in a chronological order. Arguments that succeed in persuading someone, for example a jury, are often constructed of multiple forms of evidence, not just one. So if you can present your case with statistical evidence as well as multiple testimonies then you will greatly increase your chances of winning the case.

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 22, 2018 at 9:30 AM

    Hi Matz!
    I really enjoyed reading your post this week and believe you have made some important points. You mention how not only are statics and testimonies the most typical forms of evidence, but also the most reliable. I would agree that accurate numbers tend to display truth, and I would say numbers are difficult to argue against. Additionally, testimonies can be tricky because the individuals giving the testimony must be credible in order to strengthen the argument. Although I believe that statistical and testimonial evidence are important, I believe it is crucial to use evidence that is relevant. Without relevance, statical and testimonial evidence lose value. For example, if you present statistics that are no longer valid because too much time has passed, the evidence is no longer valuable to support your case.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousOctober 22, 2018 at 11:21 AM

    I agree with some points in your post, Matz. You state that the two most reliable forms of evidence are testimony and stats. I stated that those are the least out of the three to be the most reliable. For one example, testimony is difficult to use in any situation because he could turn into he says she say and that makes any situation less believable because you don’t know who is telling the complete truth. But I agree with you that they are very helpful and could sometimes enhanced your side in arguments. I just didn’t think they were the most reliable out of the three. So, do you think by example is the least reliable form of evidence?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chap 5

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, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chapter 10

There were a couple of terms I found in this chapter that I wish were explained a little more. First, the concept of uncritical responses to refutation is only covered briefly. I think that this is one of the most fundamental barriers to effective public argumentation in the United States right now. I find this issue most concerning for the liberal party. Recalling the last election and the concept of 'incremental' argumentation, I feel that people demonstrated a massive failure of critical thinking by voting for third parties or not voting. People who were disappointed with Hillary Clinton's candidacy in place of Bernie Sanders decided to either continue voting for Bernie or not vote altogether. Neither of these strategies amounted to effective support of their cause, and they constitute the uncritical "knee-jerk" reaction described in this chapter. In this case, uncritical response to opposition worked directly against the interests of the decision-makers. A...
1 comment
Read more

Chaper 8

Chapter 8 of Argumentation and Critical Decision Making continues down the route of talking about support for argumentation. This chapter specifically focuses on values as support for arguments, how to recognize them and the best ways to attack them. Values are defined as “ concepts of what is desirable that arguers use and decision makers understand” (121).  There are several types of values mentioned such as stated, implied, positive, negative, terminal, instrumental, abstract and concrete values.  Stated values are state directly what concepts they hold. For example, words such as “freedom” or “health” are stated values because they mean exactly what they're trying to portray. Not all values are as explicit. Some are more vague and called implied values. One of the examples that the book uses to show the contrast between the two is in the case of work equality. When talking about the subject saying, “ Equal pay for equal work” would be a stated value and “ Women deserve th...
Post a Comment
Read more