In chapter 3, Epstein declares that there are 3 tests to make sure the argument is good.
1) The beginning statement premises is plausible or makes sense.
2) The beginning statement premises is more plausible than the conclusion.
3) The argument is strong or valid.
Using these three guidelines I am going to create an example of a good argument.
"My biological father is half Japanese and half Chinese. My mom is full Chinese.
This makes me a quarter Japanese."
This is a good argument because it passes all three of Epstein's tests.
Believing that the person who stated this argument is not lying, the premises completely makes sense.
Second, the premises are more believable than the conclusion. Believing that the person did not lie about the racial background of his parents, this make it more believable than the conclusion statement about himself saying he is a quarter Japanese.
Third, this argument is strong because it makes sense through logic and biology. His father consist of half of himself and his mom consists of the other half. If his mother is full Chinese, that would make him at least half Chinese. Then putting his biological father into consideration which he is half Japanese and half Chinese, that would make this person 75% Chinese and 25% Japanese making him a quarter Japanese.
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You did a very good job of explaining this. I felt like your numbering everything and spreading it out really helped me with this concept. I like how your example of how you are “a quarter Japanese” and that you used simple fractions to help explain this concept. I feel that others sometimes to choose to make their examples complicated, making it harder to understand the concepts. Your explanation as to why your argument passes all 3 tests is very good, and much better than the textbook. I will be referring to this to help me later in the semester. I feel that we will be referring back to this concept and it will be something I need to master.
ReplyDeleteThis concept was a little touch and go for me at first. The terms used in the book confused me a bit but after reading your example and explanation the concept definitely started to make more sense. Your example is very relatable and everyday life orientated making it easy for the reader to get what you’re talking about. Testing to make sure an argument is good was very interesting for me to learn about. Your example really helped put things into perspective and used simple math to describe something more complex like testing arguments. I also will be using this example as a reference in my notes.
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