Types of Premises CRIT 111

Step one of argument mapping

assign each statement in the argument it’s own, circled number.

Step two of argument mapping

place the circled numeral corresponding to the conclusion at the Bottom of the page

step three of argument mapping

place the circled numerals corresponding to the premises above, draw an arrow from each independent one to the conclusion

how to you read the arrows

“2 is the reason for thinking it’s true that”

intermediate premises

some arguments contain premises that provide support for other premises

Joint premises

some arguments have premises that only count as reasons when combined with other premises

what is the meaning of one arrow

one arrow means that there is only one reason for the conclusion (1 AND 3 make 2 true)

independent or joint?

if a premise turns out untrue, would the other premise still make you think the supported statement is true?

What is the tacit premise? 1: If David is having fun at summer camp, he likes swimming. 2. David doesn’t like swimming 3. David isn’t having fun at summer camp.

2. David doesn’t like swimming..

how do you make a tacit premise?

make argument explicit for what it must be explaining

diagramming longer passages

1. identify unknown words

2. paraphrase and number the statements

3. recognize not every sentence contains a premise or conclusion

4. find what the main point the author is trying to convince you

active vs passive reading

critical readers are active readers and uncritical readers are passive readers

what to look for when actively reading

ultimate conclusion

independent premises

support the conclusion on their own

joint premises

work together alone they aren’t enough

intermediate premises

supported by others and support the conclusion

argument mapping basics

arrows, bracket for joint premises, place main conclusion at the bottomts

steps of argument mapping

identify, paraphrase, number, find conclusion, work backwards

what are tacit premises

a hidden assumption

where are tacit premises found?

found in enthymemes

what is the point of a tacit premise?

make assumptions explicit and not add new ideas

how do you find tacit premises

think what is true, use logic forms, look for missing links

how do you map long argument

define the key terms, break into statements, identify conclusion, work backwards