Unit 7: Revising Claims Flashcards
What does it mean to qualify an argument?
Qualifying (or limiting) an argument means acknowledging that your argument may not be universally applicable, or may have some weaknesses or problems. By qualifying your argument you can head off challenges or counter-arguments, by conceding some points in advance.
What are examples of qualifying an argument?
If you wanted to argue that we must urgently tackle the problem of climate change, but you understood that a common objection to doing so is the economic cost, you could qualify your thesis (using an although or despite the fact that statement):
EX) Conceding a point/weakness: “Although it would be expensive to do so, tackling the problem of climate change is urgent and we must commit ourselves to solving it as rapidly as possible.”
EX) Limiting an argument’s scope: “Despite the fact that some people may not be able to do so, it is the case that for the majority of Americans, engaging in vigorous exercise for at least 30 minutes a day is an important step in remaining healthy.”
What is an oversimplified argument?
An oversimplified argument is one that makes too broad a claim, which generally does not acknowledge the complexity of the issue, or advocates for too simple a solution.
What are examples of oversimplified arguments?
“Society has become more violent as a result of the proliferation of violent video games.”
“Education today isn’t as good as it used to be. Obviously, our teachers are not doing their jobs.”
How can I avoid creating an oversimplified argument?
Avoid creating an oversimplified argument by acknowledging that every issue (this one included) is complex, and that most things don’t have simple solutions or single causes.
Here is an example of an oversimplified argument: "Society has become more violent as a result of the proliferation of violent video games."
How can we make this more complex, and avoid oversimplification? "While there are many factors that have contributed to the increased violence in contemporary society, research suggests that violent video games are an important contributing factor."
• Here the introduction of a limiting clause before the main thesis helps us avoid oversimplifying, and our choice to include the phrase “research suggests” in the main clause also helps us craft a more complex argument.
What is overgeneralization?
Overgeneralizing is when we make a statement that is too broad, and that may rely on stereotypes or be too reductive.
By overgeneralizing, we often invalidate our own arguments, because the overgeneralization is easy for someone who disagrees with us to knock down.
What are examples of overgeneralization?
“All politicians are corrupt.”
“Pit bulls are aggressive.”
How can I avoid overgeneralizing?
We can avoid overgeneralizing by qualifying our remarks: “Because many Pitbull’s are aggressive…” “ A significant number of politicians become wealthy while in office…”
What is an absolute claim?
An absolute claim is another name for an overgeneralization or oversimplification.
Often, absolute claims begin with words like “every, all, always, never,” words which suggest something absolute or complete. Such absolute statements are easy to prove false.
What are examples of absolute claims?
“It is never worthwhile to visit a chiropractor.”
“Every straight-A student is hard working.”
What is an independent clause?
An independent clause is one that can stand alone as a complete thought, and could work as a free-standing sentence. It must contain a subject and verb. It can stand alone as a sentence, be modified by one or more dependent clauses, or be linked with another independent clause.
What are examples of independent clauses?
Stand alone sentence: “Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quizzes.”
Modified by dependent clauses: “Whenever it was raining, Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quizzes.”
Linked with another independent clause: “Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quizzes, but his friends studied together at the nearby library.”
What is a dependent clause?
A dependent clause contains a subject and verb but doesn’t express a full thought, and so couldn’t stand alone as its own sentence.
Some common marker words that indicate dependent clauses: after, although, as, as if, because, before, even if, even though, if, in order to, since, though, unless, until, whatever, when, whenever, whether, and while.
What is an example of a dependent clause?
“When Jim studied in the sweet shop for his chemistry quiz…” – what happened when he studied? The thought is incomplete.
What are subordinate clauses?
A subordinate clause is a dependent clause.
