For this post, I will answer number 2 on page 225. Below is the argument.
"I'm on my way 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 breakfast." (Epstein)
Is this an argument?
This is an argument because he or she is talking about why he or she is late for class. He or she going to school, leaving five minutes late, and going through heavy traffic are claims. However, I think he or she being late for class is a claim as well because it supports the conclusion which is deciding to get breakfast.
What is the conclusion?
The conclusion for this argument is stopping to get breakfast due to being late.
More premises needed?
I think a premises is needed to explain why he or she should get breakfast. If he or she did forget to eat breakfast before leaving the house, there should be a premises mentioning that. If there isn't, you can and might as well add a different conclusion. It can sound as random as saying, "So I might as well stop by the zoo and look at kangaroos," or "So I might as well stop by Build-a-Bear Workshop and make a teddy bear for my boyfriend." Although those conclusions sound very unlikely, they would sound more reasonable if a premises was added saying, "I am late for class and I have been wanting to look at kangaroos," or, "I am late today and it is Valentine's day." In this case, a premises that can be added is, "I had to skip breakfast before leaving the house." Adding this premises will support the conclusion more and provide a reason.
Subarguments?
The subarguments are going to school, being five minutes late, and going through heavy traffic. These arguments support that he or she will be late for class. Thinking that he or she will be late for class is a subargument for the conclusion which is deciding to get breakfast.
Is this a good argument?
I do not think this is a good argument because he or she did not state why he or she should get breakfast. If there was a premises that showed that he or she had a reason to get breakfast, then I would say this is a good argument. He or she also had the choice to still go to class without eating breakfast. Either way, he or she will be late.
I actually found this exercise useful because it tells you that you should be aware about your conclusion. In a way, it's a lesson teaching us that we should think before we act. For example, I already stated that it would be good to add a premises explaining why he or she would eat breakfast. It's good to add that premises because this argument is showing the way people may think before they make a decision. If I was late for class, breakfast is not the only thing that comes to mind. I could also be looking at kangaroos or going to Build-a-Bear Workshop as well. My point is that the structure of arguments relate to the way we think, and analyzing arguments and maybe adding more premises, can help us think twice before reaching a conclusion. Others can also be exposed to your arguments. I think some people would think there is no reason to get breakfast due to being late. However, people would think it is reasonable if they knew you skipped breakfast or were hungry.
- Pink Bean
Pink Bean,
ReplyDeleteFirst off I want to say that I really like the end of your post. I like the way you explained why you found the exercise useful and I agree with you that it is important for everyone to be aware of our conclusion and what we are trying to prove. As you said, it is very important for everyone to think before we act and make sure that what we are saying or doing is right.
Anyways, I did the same exercise as you and actually did not think of the specific added premise you talked about! I now see that you are right, it is important, on a health issue to incorporate the fact that he did not have time to eat breakfast and therefore needs to before class. I actually wrote that there should be a premise explaining why it's okay to be late to class such as "whether I am 5 minutes late or 40 minutes late, my teacher will still mark me late, so I might as well take my time and stop to get breakfast."
Overall your post was great :)
After reading your post it made it easier for me to understand the assignment because you were very clear in the way you analyzed your example. In your conclusion I found myself completely agreeing with you about how adding extra premises can also help us think before we act. When I first read this example in the book I didn’t think it was a bad argument but that is probably because I often find myself in the position of the person who is running late. However I see how without stating simply that he/she forget to eat breakfast or didn’t have time since they were running late could make all the difference in an argument being good or bad.
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