Evaluating Arguments

In chapter 6 of the Boss text, she talked about evaluating an argument.  She had pointed out the 5 of the main criteria for evaluating arguments:

1.     Clarity: Is the argument clear and ambiguous?

The argument needs to be able to be understood by everyone. At the point where you would not need to ask any questions to clearly understand what someone was trying to argue.

2.    Credibility: Are the premises supported by evidence?

She pointed out that most people tend to pass off assumptions as facts. They forget that they need to back up their premises.

3.    Relevance: Are the premises relevant to the conclusion?

The premises should show convincing evidence as to why someone should believe the conclusion.

4.    Completeness: Are there any unstated premises and conclusions?

She tells of how sometimes premises are so obvious that they do not need to be stated.

5.    Soundness: Are the premises true and do they support the conclusion?

She focused on saying that reasoning is an important aspect in making a sound argument. The premise should be true and support the conclusion. She also made a good point that sometimes if you cannot prove something through the use of argumentation does not necessarily mean that it is not true.