An argument should be repaired if there is no glue to get it from the premise to the conclusion. Too much is missing in an argument so it is difficult to decide what to believe. Arguments can be repaired by adding an unstated premise or an unstated conclusion. When repairing an argument, it needs to become stronger, its premise more plausible (must also seem more plausible to the person who is trying to be convinced), and the premise more plausible than the conclusion. Indicator words are good to use because they tell us the role of the claim in an argument. Conclusion indicators include "so, therefore, hence, consequently" etc. and premise indicators include "since, because, given that," etc.
My example of an argument: Sharon kept saying she liked my sister's ring. The ring is now missing. So, Sharon must have stolen it.
Obviously, my argument is not a good one. There are many other reasons for the ring to be missing. If I was to argue this with another person, the other person could say, "So Sharone liked your sister's ring...does that automatically mean she stole it?" When there is a room for a comment to counter my argument, the argument needs to be repaired. But in some cases, adding more premises does not help. For example, a premise such as "Sharon was the last person in the room to see the ring before it disappeared" is not a good one because it still does not make it valid that she stole the ring. Adding more premises still does not bring a disbelieving person to the conclusion; therefore, it cannot repair the argument.
I just wanted to say, that I really enjoyed reading your post because you explain things so well. The way you write is so easy to read, and clear and to the point. So good job with that!
ReplyDeleteOn top of having clear explanations and definitions of the concepts or ideas from the text, you also provide really good example. I was stuck coming up with an example of my own, for repairing an argument, but after reading yours it helped me understand it better. It made sense to me, so thank you! [:
A lot of times people make an argument like the one you mentioned and then they jump to conclusions. At the time, they look for the easiest possible answer and they don't bother thinking of other possibilities.