This document discusses reasons and identifying reasons when evaluating opinions and arguments. It defines reasons as the rationale or justifications used to support a conclusion. Identifying an author's reasons is important for a fair evaluation of their opinion. Focusing on reasons requires remaining open to opposing views and examining one's own opinions. When analyzing an argument, one should determine the intent, quality of evidence, and relationship between the conclusion and reasons provided. Various types of evidence like facts, statistics, and expert testimony can be used as reasons. Weak reasons undermine the overall reasoning.

1. Review
▪ What is the issue? ▪ What is the conclusion?

2. Chapter 4: What are the reasons?
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3. ▪ Provide answers about why
someone makes a particular
decision or holds a particular
opinion

4. ▪ They are the rationale for
“why”
▪ Reasons are beliefs,
evidence, metaphors,
analogies, and other
statements used to justify
conclusions
Reasons Continued

5. For example: When someone
asserts that Russia will soon
overtake the US as the
dominant country in the
world, this assertion should
be met with the challenge:

6. Why?

8. Why Identify Reasons?

9. ▪ An opinion cannot be
evaluated fairly unless we
ask why it is held
Why Identify the Reasons ?

10. ▪ Focusing on reasons requires
us to remain open to and
tolerant of opposing views

11. ▪ We would tend to stick to
the conclusions we brought
to the discussion
If not. . .
I

12. ▪ We would rapidly agree with
claims that align with our
own.

13. ▪ We would not examine our
own opinions

14. ▪ We would not be open
to reasons provided by
those people with
different opinions

15. Critical Question: What Are the Reasons?

16. 3 characteristics of an
argument

17. ▪ They have
intent; they want
us to believe a
certain way- a
reaction
▪ Their quality
varies; we need
to determine the
quality in an
argument
▪ They have 2
components: a
conclusion and
reasons
Characteristics of Arguments

18. First:WHY DOESTHE
WRITER BELIEVETHAT?
Second: What
kind of evidence is
needed to support
this claim?
Initiating the Questioning Process
The first step in identifying reasons is to ask

19. ▪ Evidence is specific
information
▪ Communicators appeal to
many kinds of evidence to
prove their point
Kinds of Reasons

20. Kinds of Evidence
facts anecdotes
Research
findings
Personal
testimonies
statistics
analogies
experts

21. Problems

22. ▪ Watch out for reasons that
seem to be made on the spot
Remember: Weak reasons create weak reasoning
Hasty Generalization/Assumptions

23. ▪ Watch out for the conclusion
to be repeated but worded
differently

24. ▪ If in a discussion, watch the
body language. If someone
gets mad about having to
provide reasons-he/she has
only weak support