What is an argument? (What is a statement?)

1. What is an argument? (What is a statement?) Chapter 2: Recognizing ArgumentsRecognizing Statements • Statement: a sentence/utterance that can be viewed as either true or false. • Argument: group of statements, one or more of which is/are intended to prove or support another statement. • Premises: statements in an argument offered as evidence or reasons why one should accept another statement. • The Conclusion: the statement that the premises support/prove.

2. Tricky statements • Rhetorical question: a sentence that has the grammatical form of a question but is meant to be understood as a statement. • Don’t you know smoking will kill you? • (means: Smoking will kill you.) • How am I supposed to do that? • (means: I can’t do that.) • Ought imperative: a sentence that has the form of a command but is a statement about what ought to be done. • “Do X!” really means “You should do X.” • “Don’t blow dry your hair in the tub!” really means “You should not blow dry your hair in the tub.”

3. Determine whether, in typical contexts, the following sentences are statements or nonstatements. (Note: Some of these are tough.) • 1. What time is the concert tonight? • 2. My feet are sore. • 3. Cowabunga, dude! • 4. Why is man less durable than the works of his hand, but because this is not the place of his rest? (William Penn) • 5. Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. • 6. Give me a call if you have trouble downloading the file. • 7. You'd better quit while you're ahead.

4. 1. What time is the concert tonight? Nonstatement (question) • 2. My feet are sore. Statement • 3. Cowabunga, dude! Nonstatement (exclamation) • 4. Why is man less durable than the works of his hand, but because this is not the place of his rest? (William Penn) Statement (rhetorical question) • 5. Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. Statement • 6. Give me a call if you have trouble downloading the file. Nonstatement (suggestion or request) • 7. You'd better quit while you're ahead. Statement (ought imperative)

5. Indicate in the space provided whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). • _____ 1. All statements are sentences and all sentences are statements. • _____ 2. Rhetorical questions are statements. • _____ 3. A single grammatical sentence may be used to express more than one statement.

6. ____F_ 1. All statements are sentences and all sentences are statements. • ____T_ 2. Rhetorical questions are statements. • ____T_ 3. A single grammatical sentence may be used to express more than one statement.

7. Identifying Premises and Conclusions • Identify the premises and conclusions in the following arguments. • Writing is revision because excellence emerges only through many cycles of writing and reading, performance and feedback. • No scientific hypothesis can be conclusively confirmed because the possibility of someday finding evidence to the contrary can't be ruled out.

8. Writing is revision because excellence emerges only through many cycles of writing and reading, performance and feedback. • No scientific hypothesis can be conclusively confirmed because the possibility of someday finding evidence to the contrary can't be ruled out. • 1. Premise: Excellence emerges only through many cycles of writing and reading, performance and feedback. • Conclusion: Writing is revision. • 2. Premise: The possibility of someday finding evidence against a scientific hypothesis can never be ruled out. • Conclusion: No scientific hypothesis can be conclusively confirmed.

9. Distinguishing Arguments from Explanations. • Determine whether the following arguments are best understood as arguments or explanations. • 1. My computer crashed because I spilled coffee on it. • 2. My wife's towel is wet. Therefore, she must have already taken her shower this morning.

10. 1. My computer crashed because I spilled coffee on it. • 2. My wife's towel is wet. Therefore, she must have already taken her shower this morning. • 1. Explanation • 2. Argument

11. Distinguishing Arguments from Nonarguments • For each of the following, indicate whether the passage is best interpreted as an argument (A), an explanation (E), or neither an argument nor an explanation (N). • 1. I’m calling about all these protestors against the [second Gulf] war. Why can’t people rally around our president and support our men? My God, Saddam Hussein kills his own people, he has no mercy, he cares nothing about anybody but himself. Don’t people realize that if you don’t stop a madman we might not have the freedom to protest or the freedom to come and go as we please in this country?

12. 1. I’m calling about all these protestors against the [second Gulf] war. Why can’t people rally around our president and support our men? My God, Saddam Hussein kills his own people, he has no mercy, he cares nothing about anybody but himself. Don’t people realize that if you don’t stop a madman we might not have the freedom to protest or the freedom to come and go as we please in this country? • argument

13. Multiple Choice • Select the best answer to the following multiple-choice questions by circling the appropriate letter. • 1. Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed. (Bertrand Russell, Autobiography, 1969) • a. nonargument; explanation • b. nonargument; unsupported assertion • c. argument; conclusion: Never try to discourage thinking. • d. argument; conclusion: You are sure to succeed.

14. Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed. • a. nonargument; explanation • b. nonargument; unsupported assertion • c. argument; conclusion: Never try to discourage thinking. • d. argument; conclusion: You are sure to succeed. • 1. c