Critical Thinking Core Concepts

Roles statements play in arguments:

(1) premises, and

(2) conclusions

But- arguments can also include statements which serve as:

(3) Descriptions: of a state of affairs- which may or may not lend support to the premises/conclusion. Descriptions can be used to :

• Define the range of application of an argument's conclusions.
• Identify the source of the "truth" of the premises.
• Can serve to convince us that an argument is worth considering (which can involve appeals to emotion)

(5) Reports of Arguments: we can also find it useful, in giving an argument of our own, (or in reading one) to also give:

• an example of the opposition view or argument
• another form of our own position (stronger or weaker)

(7) Summaries: these will be restatements of the argument or conclusion. These will either appear at the end of the argument or at the beginning.

(8) also- editorial comments, examples, illustration, analogies:

all of these may lend inductive support to the premises/argument, but will not provide deductivesupport.

We should note that all of the above statements will also use words which we have keyed on as premise or conclusion indicators- which may make things somewhat confusing. The trick here is to ask yourself "what is being argued for here, and how?" If the statements do not seem to be an argument, or part of one, then they may be descriptive. If the statements are not meant to convince you of a particular viewpoint or position, then it is not an argument.

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Inquiries to: michael.connelly@mcckc.edu
Last modified: 03/02/04