Friday, February 18, 2011

Structure of Arguments Exercise #1

(1)My neighbor should be forced to get rid of all the cars in his yard.
(2)People do not like living next door to such a mess.
(3)He never drives any of them.
(4)They all look old and beat up and leak oil all over the place.
(5)It is bad for the neighborhood, and it will decrease property values.

Argument?
Yes, this is an argument. Sentences 2-5 are claims to the argument that the neighbor should get rid of all his cars.
Conclusion:
The neighbor should be forced to get rid of all his cars.
Additional premises needed?
The property values will decrease because my neighbor owns old beat up cars that leak oil all over the place in his yard.
Identify any subargument:
2 and 4 support 5, while 3 supports 1. 2-5 also supports 1.
Good argument?
No, it wasn't.

This question was a little challenging, but it all comes down to one thing, which is that neighbor's opinion. Everyone has their own opinion. Though it seems like this neighbor was letting his cars collect in his yard, it wasn't like the sight was that distasteful that it was such an eyesore.

No comments:

Post a Comment