Critical Thinking Skills - Developing Effective Analysis and Argument(2)

This chapter looked at some aspects of an argument that are not always made explicit, such as
assumptions, implicit arguments, underlying premises and the connotations of material used in
establishing the argument.
All arguments are dependent on assumptions of some kind. Assumptions may be latent within an
argument for good reasons, such as an expectation that the audience will recognise them and know what
they mean. This is useful in keeping an argument brief and succinct, avoiding explanations of what
everyone is likely to know already.
At times, the author may assume that the audience will share assumptions or have particular knowledge
when this is not the case. At other times, authors may choose not to make the underlying assumptions
and persuasive techniques obvious, in order to better persuade the audience to their point of view.
Assumptions can also act as reasons to support the conclusion. It is important to be able to identify latent
persuasion and reasoning in order to be able to evaluate the strength and validity of the argument.
An argument may appear to be well reasoned but if it is based on false premises, it is not a good
argument. As the premises are not usually made explicit, it is usually necessary to read between the lines to
identify these. To identify whether premises are sound may require some knowledge of the subject, as well
as exercising judgement about the likelihood of the premises being well-founded. Often this requires us to
call upon our common sense and experience, but we may need to research further to check whether the
argument is valid.
Finally, the chapter looked at denoted and connoted meanings. The denoted meaning is the overt or
explicit message, which we are more likely to recognise. However, an argument may also contain latent, or
connoted, messages to persuade us to a point of view. These tend to act on our unconscious, and we are
not necessarily aware that they are being used. Messages that act on the unconscious can be particularly
powerful, so it is important to be able to detect latent messages. We can then evaluate whether an
argument sounds convincing because of its connotations and hidden messages rather than its line of
reasoning.
Information about the sources
For information about the scientist Emeagwali, see www.overture.com
8 Stella Cottrell (ZOOS), Critical Thirzkiizg Skills,
Palgrave Macmillan Ltd
Reading between the lines 99