for Kim woods

Podcast Lecture 5

ARQ Ch 2-3

What are the issue and the conclusion?

What are the reasons?

Today we will begin our discussion on how to analyze and evaluate what we read. Before you can evaluate someone’s reasoning you must first identify it. Chapter 2 in your text, Asking the Right Questions, addresses the first step in this process. We will begin our analysis by investigating the appropriate use of the critical question, What are the issue and conclusion?

First we must define these terms. As stated in your text, “An issue is a question or controversy responsible for the conversation or discussion. It is the stimulus for what is being said.”

In your reading you will probably encounter two types of issues: descriptive and prescriptive.

Descriptive issues are those that raise questions about the accuracy of descriptions of the past, present, or future. This type of issue is commonly found in textbooks, newspapers, and on the internet. These issues reflect our curiosity about patterns in our world. Some examples include: What causes AIDS?, Does TV violence increase violent behavior in children? Does smoking pot lead to cocaine addiction?

Another type of issue is the prescriptive issue. These are questions about what the author thinks is right or wrong or good or bad. They are questions about how the world should be. Many social controversies that you will encounter in your reading will present prescriptive issues. Some examples include: Should abortion be legal? Should the death penalty be outlawed? Should marijuana be legalized?

Now that we know what an issue is, how do we find one? Sometimes it is very simple to find the issue because the author states it in his/her text, usually at the beginning of the piece, or even in the title. However, in other cases the issue is not explicitly stated and the reader must infer it from the conclusion. In cases like this the next step is to identify the conclusion.

The conclusion is the message that the speaker or writer wishes you to accept. The difference between a mere opinion on a subject and a position or conclusion is the absence or presence of support for the claim the author is making. An unsupported point is an opinion, but a conclusion or position must be supported by some evidence or belief.

The conclusion is necessary to continue your analysis and evaluation. You must know what it is the author wants you to accept before you can decide if the argument is logical and if you want to accept or reject it based on the reasoning presented.

Some tips to help you find the conclusion are:

Look for the author’s response to the issue….if you know what the issue is this will be an easy strategy to employ. Remember that the issue is often explicitly stated at the beginning of the text or in the title. If the issue is not explicitly stated you will have to find the conclusion first.

Look for indicator words. These are words that signal the reader that a conclusion will follow. Some examples are: consequently, hence, thus, it follows that, as a result, therefore and in conclusion.

Another strategy for finding the conclusion is to look in likely locations. Many authors will state their conclusion in the beginning of the piece and restate the conclusion at the end of the piece. These are two likely locations for finding the conclusion.

Remember that a conclusion is not an example, statistics or evidence of any kind.

If you know something about the author’s background it may give you some insight into the point of view that he/she may be supporting. Always read any biographical information that is provided about the author.

Once you have identified the issue and the conclusion the next step is to ascertain the author’s reasons. Chapter 3 of your text, Asking the Right Questions, addresses the third essential element of an argument – the reasons.

Reasonable people support their beliefs with evidence and explanations. Identifying that support is an important part of the critical thinking process. Before you can accept or reject a conclusion you must be able to identify the author’s or speaker’s rationale for their position.

You may be accustomed to hearing the word argument used to refer to a disagreement or a verbal confrontation. We will not be using the term in this manner. For our purposes, an argument consists of a conclusion and the reasons that allegedly support it. A written argument is intended to convince the reader of certain things or to act in a certain way. Not all arguments are equal in quality. Some arguments are weak and some are strong depending on the strength of the reasons offered as support. It takes critical thinking to determine the relative strength or weakness of an argument.

You will find many different types of reasons used to support different types of arguments. Some reasons will come in the form of evidence. Evidence is the specific information used to prove something. Other reasons may be general beliefs based on the author’s experience or values.

Evidence can come in the form of examples, facts, research findings, statistics, appeals to experts and authorities, personal testimonials, metaphors and analogies. We will be talking about each of these types of evidence in more detail later in the semester. For now we just want to be able to identify the author’s reasons….later we will learn strategies to help us evaluate them. It is important to note that if a reason given as support for a conclusion is weak, or if you do not agree with the reason, that does not mean it is not a reason. Anything the author offers as support for his conclusion is a reason. An argument with many weak reasons will be a weak argument…but an argument nonetheless.