The Language of Argument

8 2

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

our knowledge (“studies”) and to show that we have knowledge instead of

just a hunch. That point is lost if we drop the assuring terms.

Unfortunately, there is no mechanical method for determining when

guarding or assuring terms and phrases can be dropped, or whether certain

sentences are unnecessary tangents or repetition. We simply have to look

closely at what is being said and think hard about what is needed to sup-

port the conclusion. It takes great skill, care, and insight to pare an argument

down to its essential core without omitting anything that would make it bet-

ter. And that is the goal: If you want to understand someone’s argument,

you should try to make that argument as good as it can be. You should inter-

pret it charitably. Distorting and oversimplifying other people’s arguments

might be fun at times and can win points in debates, but it cannot help us

understand or learn from other people’s arguments.

Put the following arguments into standard form and omit anything that does

not affect the validity of the argument or the truth of its premises:

1. Philadelphia is rich in history, but it is not now the capital of the United
   States, so the U.S. Congress must meet somewhere else.


2. Not everybody whom you invited is going to come to your party. Some of
   them won’t come. So this room should be big enough.


3. I know that my wife is at home, since I just called her there and spoke to
   her. We talked about our dinner plans.


4. I’m not sure, but Joseph is probably Jewish. Hence, he is a rabbi if he is a
   member of the clergy.


5. Some students could not concentrate on the lecture, because they did not
   eat lunch before class, although I did.


6. The most surprising news of all is that Johnson dropped out of the race
   because he thought his opponent was better qualified than he was for the
   office.


7. The liberal candidate is likely to win, since experts agree that more
   women support him.


8. It seems to me that married people are happier, so marriage must be a
   good thing, or at least I think so.

exercise i

In the quotation above (p. 80), is it fair to drop “I think” from the start of Edwards’s

sentences “I think these are decisions the states should have the power to make”

and “I think that’s wrong—that power should not be taken away from the states“?

Why or why not? Is this phrase “I think” used for guarding or assuring or some

other purpose in this context? Explain why Edwards adds these words.

Discussion Question

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