Day 4 - Tuesday

Day 4 - Tuesday

I. Housekeeping

• sign-in
• return skeletal arguments

II. Claims

• What is a claim?
  A statement that is provable, significant (debatable), and thoughtful (appropriately qualified). It answers the question, "What do you think?"
  
• Claims in silver cup
  Is it an appropriate claim? Why or why not? What could you change to make it an appropriate claim?
  
• Claim brainstorming from reading
  Is artistic creation like the process described by a cosmogony?
  Is an artist like a creator in a cosmogony?

III. Reasons

• What is a reason?
  A sub-claim &endash; same criteria as above, tho' less general, more specific. It answers the question, "Why do you believe that claim?" They start with "because" &endash; they're grammatically subordinate, too.
  
• Claims in silver cup: generating reasons for the appropriate ones
  
• Reason brainstorming based on an interesting claim from above
  How is this process different?
  Sharing reasons only; we "guess" claim from its subclaims

IV. Warrants

• What is a warrant?
  It shows relevance. It answers the question, "What does that have to do with that?" e.g. Walmart commercial: "And three of them are triplets!"
  Usually we know when something is relevant or not, usually without its being stated.
  
• Sometimes relevance is hard to see
  e.g. Claim: You shouldn't buy clothes made in that country.
  Reason: Because they don't protect their environment.
  Relevance in its more obvious cases is usually a matter of definition.
  
• Warrants exist (surprise!) at all levels of argument They connect claims to reasons and reasons to evidence.
  
• Ways of disputing a warrant concern include arguing that you don't agree with the warrant offered and arguing that a warrant doesn't exist. e.g. cartoons

Homework: Complete reading on syllabus. Another skeletal argument re: parallels between one artist's account and one creation story. Claim: X's account of creativity parallels Y story of creation.

Appropriate and Inappropriate Claims for Day 4 Exercise:

• God created the world in seven days.
• Evening is the best time to throw a party.
• Diamonds are a girl's best friend.
• The United States government should decrease taxes.
• Schools should require physical education.
• Meat eaters can't love their pets as much as vegetarians do.
• The practice of medicine is similar to the practice of art.
• Preserving the environment should be a priority.
• The invention of the automobile changed the way people live and work.
• The Simpsons is among the twentieth century's most innovative television series.
• George Washington was our best president.