structure of agruments

"Im on my to school. I left five minutes late. Traffic is heavy. Therefore, I'll be late for class. So I might as well stop and get break fast."  This an agrument because the person is justifying why it would be okay for them to get breakfast and therefore it is an agrument. It could be a stronger agrument if they put indicators in there. Like, I'm on my way to school and will be late for class becuase the traffic is heavy. This makes it seem more of a stronger argument. The conclusion seems to be, "I might as well stop and get break fast." The other sentences seem to be facts to support the conclusion. The facts make this agrument weak though. The teacher would not accept this because of the fact that they did wake up five minutes late, it is the students fault, and if you live in the area, you should know how the traffic is and plan to wake up earlier. I think this is a good example because it shows how some of the facts or premises do not always make the conclusion strong, therefore it is not a strong argument.

Strong vs. Valid

To know the difference between a valid or strong arguement can be determined by the conclusion we give and the reasoning behind it. A strong argument usually has more explaination where as a valid argument usually has strong evidence and facts.

strong: Every student I know at San Jose state are given free vta stickers.
Therefore, all students have vta stickers.

Valid: San Jose State provides free vta stickers for all there students enrolled.
Therefore, all students have vta stickers.

tests for an agrument

There are three things you need in order to have a strong argument. A good argument comes with a good reason behind it. This means that the premises or arguments need to be plausible. Any argument needs to be believable. When something is not believable or seem to have no reason, this is called implausible or dubious. A good argument needs to have a strong conclusion so that it will not be questioned. Every argument can have a counter argument but if you have a good conclusion, it makes it hard for someone to develop many questions to argue it. A good conclusion with have good reasoning and proof.


Example: Kell is a cat. All cats stay indoors. So Kell is an indoor cat.

Analysis: The argument is true because there is proof that Kell is a cat. The conclusion can be true, but the premises is hard to prove that all cats are indoor cats. This is an example of a bad argument because of the premises, but the argument and conclusion do match up so it can still be considered an argument but not a strong one.

vague

I go to music in the park every thursday. Since I lived in Salinas, I would always have to drive up to San Jose to meet my friends. I would have to text them and ask where to meet them. I would get so irritated when they would tell me to meet them at the restuarants across the street from the park. It was a very vague description of where they were because there are so many different restuarants all around the park. I would have to go walking around calling and looking for them. It would have been much easier if they told me to meet them infront of a certain restuarant or hotel, or if they were on first street or market.

Post 1 Subjective and Objective Claims

Subjective is when someone or some people make a claim on something. These claims are considered true or false due to someone's personal beliefs or feelings and are allowed to be more vague.  Objective claims are more impersonal and use more facts then opinions.

Subjective:  "I think it is too hot in San Jose."  This is subjective because it is my own personal opinion and claim about how I think or feel. It is also to vague of a claim to be objective.

Objective: "It is 98 degrees in downtown San Jose." This is objective weither is this claim is true or not, it is not based on someone's personal opinion.