Smart Thinking: Skills for Critical Understanding and Writing, 2nd Ed

42 SMART THINKING: SKILLS FOR CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING & WRITING

While, obviously, these three reasons are broadly concerned with the same issue,

in this argument they are offered independently: no one claim needs any of the

others for the argument to make sense. I could, quite legitimately, find out that

claim 3 is wrong and yet still be convinced by claims 2 and 4 to accept claim 1. In

a dependent chain, if one of the three claims were to 'fall out' in this way, then the

entire reason expressed by that chain would be invalidated.

Now compare the previous example to the following variation on our argu-

ment, which demonstrates how to use, in one analytical structure, a combination

of dependent and independent premises:

1. Australia's natural environment should be protected.


2. Protecting the natural environment will encourage tourism.


3. Increased tourism will benefit the economy.


4. Environmental protection improves the quality of life for all
   Australians.


5. If Australia's natural environment is looked after, then other countries
   might follow our example.


6. It would be very good if other countries also protected their natural
   environments.

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Exercise 4.2

Write two arguments or explanations (expressed as a list of claims) that match the

following generic argument structure. Choose issues about which you have some

knowledge or that are important to you at the moment.