English shit

  • Authority to Establish Authority

    • Writers must present material fairly and clearly.
    • Structure: use sections, paragraphs, sentences, arguments, and details.

  • Rhetorical Situation

    • Context in which a message exists, considering audience and purpose.

  • Confirmation Bias

    • Tendency to favor information that confirms personal beliefs.

  • Working Thesis

    • Indicates topic and makes an important point.

  • Informal Outline Structure

    • Thesis statement: first main idea, then supporting detail; repeat for subsequent ideas.

  • First Principle of Successful Drafting

    • Be flexible in writing.

  • Effective Paragraphs

    • Organized and focused on a single idea.

  • Fallacies in Argumentation

    • Slippery Slope: assumes one event will lead to others without proof.
    • Hasty Generalization: making a conclusion based on insufficient evidence.
    • Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc: assumes causation from sequence of events.
    • Genetic Fallacy: based on the origin rather than the current context.
    • Begging the Claim: assumes the conclusion within the premise.
    • Circular Argument: restates the claim instead of proving it.
    • Either/Or: presents two options as the only possibilities.
    • Ad Hominem: attacks the opponent rather than the argument.
    • Red Herring: diverts attention from the actual issue.
    • Ad Populum (Bandwagon): appeals to popularity rather than logic.
    • Straw Man: oversimplifies or misrepresents an argument.
    • Moral Equivalence: compares two subjects to suggest equal moral status.

  • Stages of Writing:

    • Stage 1: Based on personal opinion, lacks evidence.
    • Stage 2: Structured argument with evidence, lacks counterpoints.
    • Stage 3: Engages with complexity, seeking truth.
    • Stage 4: Articulates assumptions underlying arguments.
    • Stage 5: Links arguments to values and beliefs relevant to the audience.

  • Lawyers’ Habits of Mind

    • Requires understanding of different truths and beliefs.