Analyzing the Argument - Part 2 of 2

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The previous video was about understanding how an argument is built so we can read it critically and see if the argument is logical. (Make sure you watch that video first.) Now, one way to analyze the argument is to look closely at the evidence the writer presents and ask if it is relevant and sufficient. So, stick around and let's talk about evaluating the evidence. Hi! Welcome to Snap Language. Marc Franco here. So, to build an argument, we present a series of claims that lead to a conclusion. Of course, the premises in the argument must support the conclusion in a way that makes sense... um... of course! You'd be surprised, though. Even an argument that "appears" to make sense may not be really strong; it may not even be a valid argument. Let's look at a fairly obvious example first. "Eckstown is a great place to live. "It has many parks and recreation areas where you can relax and exercise. "Its parks have vast green areas including trees and wild flowers. "The Eckstown Public Library was founded in 1841, making it one of oldest libraries in the area." In this simple paragraph, the topic is "Eckstown." The point the author wants to make is that Eckstown is "a great place to live." The author presented three premises to support this conclusion. Now, looking at each premise closely, the first is that Eckstown has many parks and recreation areas. That's actually good evidence. Most people would agree that this makes any town a good place to live. The next premise is that the parks are green and beautiful. Well, that's more information about the parks still. What else is there? The final premise is that Eckstown has an old library. That's great, but... the conclusion is that it's a great place to live. Having an old library is interesting, but it's not quite *relevant* to that conclusion. That's not very closely related to the claim; it doesn't provide adequate support. So, "pretty parks" is good evidence. An "old library?"... not so much. Is that all? Typically, when you think of a good place to live, you think of safety, good jobs and schools, shops and restaurants, good transportation, and so forth... The author here said "nice" things about Eckstown, but one relevant piece of evidence isn't quite enough to support a conclusion. [snap] "Eckstown is a very safe place to live. "Take a quick stroll around town, and you will likely run into friendly and helpful people. "A study showed a 60% decrease in robberies and burglaries in recent years. "No violent crimes were reported last year." What's the point (or the conclusion) here? Does the writer present sufficient evidence to support that conclusion? Is the evidence relevant to the conclusion? Pause the video and see if you can answer these questions... Did you pause the video? The main point here is that Eckstown is a safe place to live. Starting from the bottom here, no one reported any violent crimes last year. Yes, that's relevant to being a safe place. But what about previous years? Maybe last year was different somehow? The writer also mentioned no *violent* crimes. How about other types of crimes? But, overall, no violent crimes could mean it's a safe place. So, let's say it's okay evidence for now. Besides, we must consider all the evidence, so let's continue... There was a 60% reduction in crimes! That sounds good... Well... that's 60% of what number? If there were, say, 1,000 crimes before, 60% fewer than 1,000 is still a lot of crimes. A writer often includes a study and statistics or data because they provide strong support to a claim and readers tend to believe this type of information. As critical readers, we know sometimes it only *sounds* good. We still need to ask questions to see if any piece information truly supports the main point regardless where the information comes from. Finally, you'll run into a lot of friendly, helpful people in Eckstown. Eh! The point is that it's a safe place, not how nice the people are. As you can see, even when it *appears* there's good information to support a conclusion, you should always evaluate that evidence. Did the author present sufficient information? Is all the information good and relevant to the conclusion? In this paragraph?... Uh... not so much. [snap] I'm not saying you should never believe anything you read. If we trust the source, it's very likely the writer will do their best to support their claims and provide sufficient and relevant information. But we don't want to learn something that's not very accurate, right? We don't want people to persuade us to believe something unless they give us very good reasons to do so... So, we should always read critically. Always make sure conclusions are logical and accurate... and supported by sufficient and relevant information. Is that all? Yes, pretty much!... so, the next time you read something, look closely! I often put extra information in the description box below a video, so take a look. There are more things you can do to read critically, but that's all for this video. What do you do to read critically? Maybe you do something I didn't mention here, so put it in the comments. For now, click that "like button" and subscribe to Snap Language on YouTube. And read critically... ... use those critical eyes... Yeah... Bye!
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Channel: Snap Language
Views: 73,913
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Keywords: analyzing the argument part 2, logical argument, argument, critical thinking, reading, skills, college, homework help, improvement, learn, how to, evaluate, evidence, lesson, ESL, language, critical, reading critically, GED, GED preparation, language arts, LA, interpreting what you read, evaluating the evidence, sufficient and relevant, relevant and sufficient, essay, sufficient, relevant, english grammar, learn english
Id: jVf_iJpSIrM
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 6min 26sec (386 seconds)
Published: Thu Jul 27 2017
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