Beyond Feelings

CHAPTER 7 What Is Argument?
whether an innocent person can fail a lie detector test. If so, then Bruno
could be innocent.
The Argument
Success comes to those who
work hard.
Jane is successful.
Therefore, Jane worked hard.
The Questions
Does it always?
87
Is she?
Does this conclusion follow
logically from what is stated
in the premises? Would
any other conclusion be as
reasonable?
Comment: The first premise is not entirely true. Some people who work
hard end up failing anyway because they lack the necessary aptitude or
background experience to meet the challenge. Moreover, some people
who do not work hard succeed anyway because they have wealth and/or
influence. Even if we grant that the second premise is true, the argument
must still be judged unsound because of the first premise.
Did you ever have the experience of hearing an argument on some
issue, being impressed with it, and then hearing the opposing argument
and being even more impressed with that? It happens often. For example,
in the primary battles prior to the 2000 presidential election, a question
arose as to whether candidate George W. Bush had used cocaine many
years earlier. Some pundits argued that if he had, then he was a hypocrite
because as governor of Texas he signed into law a bill containing tough
penalties for cocaine users. The argument sounded good. But then other
pundits argued that a person who had used drugs but had learned to
avoid them was in a better position to know their danger to individuals
and society than one who had not. They reasoned that an alcoholic can
speak more authoritatively than a teetotaler on the misuse of alcohol, a
reformed criminal is more familiar with the evils of crime than a lawabiding
citizen, and so on.
Remember that your evaluation of any argument is likely to be
most effective when you are able to hear both sides or at least to consider
the criticisms people on each side of the issue make of the other
side’s view.
More Difficult Arguments
Unfortunately, not all arguments are clearly and/or fully stated. Following
are the main kinds of difficult situations you will encounter, along with
guidelines for dealing with them.