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Playing by the rules..., 24 février 2006
Ce commentaire fait référence à cette édition : A Rulebook for Arguments (Broché)
When I was studying as an undergraduate, I toyed with the idea of becoming a philosophy major. I ultimately did not pursue that particular field (opting for the areas of politics and religious studies, then venturing on to history, mathematics, astronomy, and ultimately theology) but I did take among my earliest courses a sequence of lectures in logic, including symbolic logic. I cannot express the value of this training adequately for all of my subsequent courses of study, but I also find it difficult to recommend the 700-page textbook to my students today who have problems crafting arguments and seeing the problems inherent in certain types of argumentation when they have little grounding and even less time for formal logic.
This is where this book by Weston comes in most handy. Weston's 'A Rulebook for Arguments' is a concise, accessible and very practical book for anyone looking to write or craft persuasive, coherent and consistent lines of reasoning. The first chapter gives seven basic principles that anyone who wishes to convince or persuade should know, whether they be arguing before a judge, a debating panel, a teacher, or even in a friendly pub conversation -- principles such as using natural order of argumentation, avoiding loaded language, being consistent in terminology, and starting from realistic and reliable premises.
From these basic and reasonable pieces, Weston develops more formal systems for argumentation -- Arguments by Example, by Analogy, from Authority, about Causes, and Deductive Arguments. Each of these systems are useful in and of themselves, as well as in relation to each other, but all have specific rules for application. What constitutes an Argument from Authority, for example? Who or what is authoritative? What are the limitations on this type of argument? One thinks immediately of the family-based Argument from Authority, 'because I'm the mommy, that's why.' Perhaps it is just as well the average grade schooler won't be purchasing this book!
In all, there are 30 primary rules for argumentation. These are adapted into 14 primary steps for developing an argument in writing.
There are three chapters specifically devoted to composing an argumentative essay, focusing upon research into the issues being argued, developing the key points of the argument, and finally writing the narrative of the text of the argument. These are basic steps to be followed whether one is putting together a two-page persuasive essay for an introductory politics class or a 200-page dissertation for a doctorate in philosophy. Key points such as definition, outlines according to natural flow, and consistency reflect the seven principles from the simplest arguments shown above.
the final chapter looks at fallacies -- how do we know if an argument fails itself? The two most common fallacies -- generalising from incomplete information and overlooking alternatives are the most important problems with argumentation. The argument 'the streets are wet, so it must be raining,' fails because of both fallacies; the streets could be wet because of water pipes having burst, or because people are washing their cars and there is run-off -- the information is incomplete, and the alternatives are not explored. There are twenty-two fallacies named in all, lots of ways for arguments to go astray.
There are longer books on critical thinking; there are other texts on rhetoric and writing. Many of these are useful and worthwhile, however, for clarity and concise information, Weston's book is superb and a very present help for those in a time-crunch.
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