I go to school. In class I take notes. Therefore I receive an education.
This a solid argument that needs minimal repair. Although the argument is sound, there are a few minor flaws with this statement. After the statement “I take notes”, the argument immediately jumps from taking notes to receiving an education. Receiving an education means different things to different people. To some, receiving an education could mean memorizing and passing their weekly quiz. To other, receiving an education could mean receiving their diploma. So you can see the one faces when addressing this argument. Adding a little more specificity and tweaking the argument will make the argument stronger. For example, “I got to school and take notes. These notes help me learn everything and pass the classes I need to graduate. Therefore I receive an education.” This statement is more plausible and sound. This example addresses the questions that I had earlier about what receiving an education means. Instead of making the reader decide what receiving an education means, you are telling them. If you pay attention to detail and add more supporting premises then you will definitely beef up your argument and repair any type of holes in your argument. Of course the argument isn’t perfect, but you will see the flow of your ideas and they will transition evenly, so that everyone sees your disposition. The premise is more plausible than the conclusion and would seem plausible to any reader reading it.
Paster P,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your argument and like the way you repaired it. It does make a lot more sense, as you said, to tell the readers what receiving an education means, instead of having them decide on their own. Your argument does make a lot more sense, and is therefore a lot stronger once you repaired it. I also like how you took the time to explain what you were changing in the argument and why; It made it easier for me to read and I understood your steps a lot better as well. Your post was overall very clear and helpful.
Great job on your post :)
Elsie-
Hi Patster P,
ReplyDeleteGreat job explaining the complex idea of repairing arguments. I like how you incorporated the fact that sometimes the conclusion or premise may be unclear because of people's different interpretations of the statement. The argument may need to be repaired simply because people can tweak the statement into what they imagine it will be and there inlays the discrepancy. Your example with school and taking notes was very clear and your explanation was thorough and easy to understand. Your revision of the example you used made the example stronger. As you mentioned, though it was not perfect, it gave the reader a solid idea of what "receiving an education" was, thus led them to less guessing. Good job!