I am new to Critical Thinking and Reasoning, so almost everything I read is something new to me. What I found the most interesting in the readings this week was the section on Content Fallacies (Epstein, 201). In this section, I learned that even though an argument may need some work upon, making the premises stronger and/or the conclusion clearer that it is not necessarily a bad argument. In order to find fallacies, I must look to the supporting statements for the conclusion. Some fallacies are based off of these kind of premises:
~ Mistaking the person or group for the claim.
~ A bad appeal to authority.
~ A bad appeal to a common belief or practice.
~ A false dilemma.
These are just a few premises that are mistaken for and considered fallacies when put into an argument.
I also found interesting that at the end of the chapter, the book speaks about wisdom. I agree with the book that people should try to step away from being the best, being right, and join together; have discussions not fights. Arguments are a part of human nature, but we can be civil and arguments can actually helps advance humans not just break them apart.
I think the concept that you found interesting is very useful. I agree with what you said even though an argument may need some work upon, the premises need to be stronger and/or the conclusion clearer that it is not necessarily a bad argument. I agree that many people nowadays don't have "disscussions" anymore. A lot of my friends are constantly getting into arguments because they think it's a faster way to solve things. But I definitely agree with you that we as human beings should be civilized and talk things out rather than breaking the bond/relationship apart. Great job! :)
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