Beyond Feelings

198 PART THREE A Strategy
As the examples demonstrate, taking time to ask appropriate questions
has several benefits. First, it prevents you from judging hastily, on
the basis of first impressions. Second, it allows you to evaluate each part
of the argument individually (rather than settling for an overall evaluation)
and thus to identify both strengths and weaknesses. Finally, taking
the time to ask appropriate questions often provides a structure around
which to arrange your thoughts.
The answers you develop to your questions make up your response
to the argument. If you write out your response, you can either follow the
order of your questions or choose another organizational pattern. The
decision depends on what arrangement will both achieve coherence and
provide the emphasis you intend.
Making Important Distinctions
knowing how often, at what
times of the day, and for how
long the woman talks on the
phone to her gay friend? What
if both husband and wife work
and share responsibility for
housework and parenting, but
she now spends hours on the
telephone every evening?
Would not the best advice in
that case be for her to get counseling
and find out what’s
wrong with her?
Still another important consideration in evaluating evidence and arguments
is making careful distinctions. The exact distinction needed, of
course, depends on the situation. Here are six kinds of distinctions that
frequently are necessary to avoid faulty evaluations:
1. Between the person and the idea. It’s easy to confuse the person with
the idea. Just as we tend to overlook the faults of our friends and
exaggerate those of our enemies, so do we tend to look favorably
on the ideas of people we like or admire and unfavorably on those
we dislike or do not admire. Similarly, we tend to disregard the
ideas of people who we feel ought not to have ideas on certain subjects—for
example, white scholars on African American history or
men on women’s issues. Such reactions are irrational because
ideas are not synonymous with the people who hold them. Admirable
people can be wrong, and despicable people can be right.
Furthermore, a person’s gender, color, nationality, or religion is
not a proper basis for accepting or rejecting his or her ideas. It is
possible for a man to be an authority on feminism (or for that