CriticalThinking Tutorial 7

1 Chapter 5: Strategies for Assessing ArgumentsFor the rest of this semester we will focus on the assessment of arguments. As we may now see,every argument supports its conclusion by making a double claim: (a) that its premises are trueand (b) that its premises support its conclusion. Thus, every argument supports its conclusionby claiming that the argument is sound. To assess an argument, then, is to determine if claims(a) and (b) are true. Good arguments do what they claim to do and bad arguments do not.Philosophers have developed two strategies for assessing arguments. There is the more tradi-tional approach called the fallacies approach, in which specific fallacies that weaken the strengthof an argument are identified and assessment of arguments works by determining if an argumentcommits fallacies. The other, more recent, approach is called the criterial approach, in whichcriteria that good arguments must satisfy are laid out and an assessment of arguments works bydetermining if a given argument satisfies these criteria. The criterial approach is the better ofthe two, as we shall see.1.1 The Fallacies ApproachA fallacy is any error or weakness that detracts from the soundness of an argument. An exampleof a fallacy is the fallacy of inconsistency. Consider the following statements:Mary is older than TomTom is older than MaryTo assert either of these premises on their own is fine but to assert them together is to assertMary is older than Tom and Tom is ...