I found a lot of information on what makes a strong argument and what consists of a weak argument. Earlier this week we discussed strong and valid arguments in detail, but I continued on to read what makes a weak argument.
Weak arguments usually have little or no factual information and no established conclusion. One can go on a tangent about a topic and have no knowledge of what they are speaking about as well. Usually they have no sense or authority behind their facts and are not willing to be challenged.
An example of a weak argument is “ I am employed.” This is a bad argument because there is not enough information given in the sentence. For one, we don’t know what type of job the person has. He could have any profession, so it is very vague. We also do not know the location of where the person works as well.
I agree with your statement that weak arguments "have little or no factual information and no established conclusion." Being vague holds is unsupportive and does not build a foundation to back up the argument. Having facts creates a strong point because it is true and cannot be proven wrong, however depending on what information is what creates how strong the argument is. In addition, having authority provides the credibility of the structure behind the argument. If you are in the profession or have well knowledge of a certain subject, then the arguments presented will be well supported and will have more facts and statements to back it up.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you did a post about weak arguments. After discussing what makes a strong claim and strong argument the last few weeks, I think it is really cool that you focused on weak arguments. I think by knowing what makes up a weak argument, it sets you up to be more prepared in making your own arguments strong. By seeing you example of a weak argument, it made me think of all the kind of measures I would have to take to make it a strong argument. I think by having the ability to pick out a weak argument and know how to make it strong is a very good skill so I really like your post. Good job Lyss!
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