The book offers long lists of evaluative adjectives that can be applied to premises, reasons, claims, and arguments. Why so many possible evaluative terms?

Question

What will be an ideal response

Answer 1

Good arguments-subtle and yet effective as solid proofs that their claims are worthy of being accepted as true-can be expressed in so many ways that listing them all may be impossible. In natural language contexts argument making can take the form of a personable and convivial conversation between friends as they explore options and consider ideas. Good argument making can occur in front of juries and judges in the push and pull of a legal dispute. Managers seeking budget approvals present arguments for more funding. Fundraisers seeking donations offer reasons that tug at our minds and our hearts for why we should contribute to their charities. Researchers present complex and detailed arguments when reporting their findings in professional journals. Good argument making can be embedded in warnings, ironic commentary, allegorical dramas, one-line counterexamples, recommendations, policy statement preambles, public addresses, conversations, group meetings, negotiations, comic monologues, serious pro-and-con debates, meandering reflections, and even the lyrics of songs. The vocabulary we use to evaluate arguments must be as flexible as our understanding of the wide variety of contexts within which argument making can be found. A conversation with a colleague about an impending decision can be helpful, even if we would not think about calling it valid, or persuasive. Natural language offers such richness in its evaluative repertoire that it seems wise, at least at this early point, not to close our options by prematurely stipulating a set of evaluative categories.