EXAMPLE ARGUMENTS
Here are several of the arguments we diagrammed and discussed in class:
1. You can’t trust slippery Harry! He keeps telling us one thing, but doing another. Here in Nevada, he tells us he won’t raise taxes, but back in Washington, he voted for the largest tax increase in government history. He says he won’t balance the budget on the backs of the elderly, yet he turns around and does just that- voting to increase taxes on social security. Call Slippery Harry now, and tell him, "Don’t you dare touch my Social Security!"
2. Don’t you dare vote for Uncle Sid! As treasurer of the Piranha Club, Sid promised to spend club finances only on worthy causes, but instead, he absconded with all the club dues and took off for Tijuana. Lying, cheating scumbuckets like Sid do not deserve your support.
3. There’s plenty of reasons to like Sid for club president. For one thing, by becoming president of the piranhas, Sid will no longer be allowed to serve as treasurer, and thus, no longer be in control of club finances. Plus, he promised to give me a fin if elected.
SCRAMBLED ARGUMENTS
The Exercise: Construct reasonable argument diagrams out of the following sets of statements.
I.
(1) Having a pot belly might be healthier for you.
(2) Studies show people who are up to 25% overweight have a lower risk of lung cancer, osteoporosis, and hip fractures, than their skinnier counterparts.
(3) Thin folks have a greater risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than chubby ones.
II.
(1) It is not true that all vertebrates have made their first appearance in fossil rocks of the same age.
(2) Not all species were created at the same time.
(3) If all species were created at the same time, then all vertebrates would make their first appearance in fossil rocks of the same age.
III.
(1) Bicycling is faster than running or walking.
(2) Bicycling is not polluting.
(3) Bicycling promotes the health of the rider.
(4) Bicycle riding is the ideal form of land transportation.
(5) Bicycle riding does not exploit animals or people.
IV.
(1) Sunlight is necessary for the skin to produce vitamin D.
(2) In one study, women who were exposed to sunshine every day for 10 to 15 minutes were up to 40% less likely to develop breast cancer than those who rarely caught any sunlight.
(3) Sunlight protects women against breast cancer.
(4) A small daily dose of bright sunlight is actually good for you.
(5) Vitamin D is essential for building strong bones.
V.
(1) Child care allows single parents the chance to find jobs.
(2) Child care allows both mothers and fathers to contribute to family income.
(3) Quality child care is a valuable resource for many millions of young children living in families with working parents.
(4) Child care allows single parents the flexibility to keep jobs.
(5) Child care helps many young children to be ready to learn when they enter school.
VI.
(1) Owning a new car will cause your insurance rates to rise.
(2) You should not buy a new car right now.
(3) You can't afford to buy a new car right now.
(4) The car you currently own is just fine.
(5) Your current insurance rates are already too high.
VII.
(1) Tap water leaves residue on kitchen and bathroom fixtures.
(2) The water comes from regions containing calcium and magnesium
(3) These minerals remain dissolved all the way to our fixtures.
(4) The water dissolves these minerals
(5) When the water evaporates on these fixtures, it leaves these minerals behind.
(6) Tap water contains calcium and magnesium
VIII.
(1) I won’t pass the test.
(2) If I don’t study for the test, then I won’t pass the test.
(3) I won’t graduate on time.
(4) I won’t pass the course.
(5) I didn’t study for the test.
(6) If I don’t pass the course, then I won’t graduate on time.
(7) ???? [An implicit premise for you to identify]
A COUPLE OF MORE EXTENDED ARGUMENTS
I.
"… You appeared to be surprised when I told you, on our first meeting, that you had come from Afghanistan."
"You were told, no doubt."
"Nothing of the sort. I knew you came from Afghanistan. From long habit the train of thoughts ran so swiftly through my mind that I arrived at the conclusion without being conscious of intermediate steps. There were such steps, however. The train of reasoning ran, ‘Here is a gentleman of medical type, but with the air of a military man. Clearly an army doctor, then. He has just come from the tropics, for his face is dark, and that is not the natural tint of his skin, for his wrists are fair. He has undergone hardship and sickness, as his haggard face says clearly. His left arm has been injured. He holds it in a stiff and unnatural manner. Where in the tropics could an English army doctor have seen much hardship and got his arm wounded? Clearly in Afghanistan.’ The whole train of thought did not occupy a second. I then remarked that you came from Afghanistan, and you were astonished."
"It is simple enough as you explain it," I said, smiling.
- A. Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet, 1887, ch. 2.
II. Kept Women Can Boost U.S. Economy
President George W. Bush thinks getting rid of the marriage penalty will jump-start the economy, but allowing mistresses to be declared as tax deductions is a better bet.
That's according to marketing executive and former mistress Lisa Faith Phillips, who says mistresses help the economy because they enable rich men "to redistribute their wealth to others."
Besides the money spent at expensive restaurants, a man with a mistress needs to splurge on gifts, jewelry, apartments, vacations, and other goodies.
Although this boosts the overall economy more than monogamy, the increased interest in family values since Sept. 11 has forced many sugar daddies back to their spouses. (Las Vegas Review Journal, February 4, 2003)