The Language of Argument

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cH A Pt eR 5 ■ D e e p A n a l y s i s

The Method of Reconstruction

We can summarize the discussion so far by listing the steps to be taken in

reconstructing an argument. The first two steps were discussed in Chapters

4 and 3, respectively.

1. Do a close analysis of the passage containing the argument.


2. List all explicit premises and the conclusion in standard form.


3. Clarify the premises and the conclusion where necessary.


4. Break up the premises and the conclusion into smaller parts where this
   is possible.


5. Arrange the parts of the argument into a chain or tree of subarguments
   where this is possible.


6. Assess each argument and subargument for validity.^5


7. If any argument or subargument is not valid, or if it is not clear why
   it is valid, add suppressed premises that will show how to get from the
   premises to the conclusion.


8. Assess the truth of the premises.
   Remember that the goal of reconstruction is not just technical validity but is,
   instead, to understand why and how the conclusion is supposed to follow
   from the premises.
   After reconstructing the argument, it is often helpful to add some indication
   of its structure. This can be done by numbering the premises and then, after


9. Mildred must be over forty-three, since she has a daughter who is thirty-
   six years old.


10. He cannot be a grandfather because he never had children.


11. That’s not modern poetry; you can understand it.


12. Harold can’t play in the Super Bowl, because he broke his leg.


13. Shaquille must be a basketball player, since he is so tall.


14. Dan is either stupid or very cunning, so he must be stupid.


15. Susan refuses to work on Sundays, which shows that she is lazy and
    inflexible.


16. Jim told me that Mary is a professor, so she can’t be a student, since
    professors must already have degrees.


17. This burglar alarm won’t work unless we are lucky or the burglar uses
    the front door, so we can’t count on it.


18. His natural talents were not enough; he still lost the match because he
    had not practiced sufficiently.

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