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Evaluating Truth and Validity Apply the following in a paper of 700 words for each scenario:
Scenario’s:
Check each of the following arguments to be sure that it contains no hidden
premises and, if it is a complex argument, that all parts are expressed. Revise
each, as necessary, to make the expression complete. Then evaluate the
argument and decide whether it is sound. Explain your judgment. a. Having great
wealth is a worthy goal because it is difficult to attain and many famous people
have pursued it. b. Low grades on a college transcript are a handicap in the job
market, so teachers who grade harshly are doing students a disservice.
? Evaluate each argument, using the four-step process described on pp.
197-198, regarding soundness of reasoning (truth and validity).
? Explain your assessment, and add alternative argumentation where
necessary.
STEPS IN EVALUATING AN ARGUMENT The following four steps are an
efficient way to apply what you learned in this chapter—in other words, to
evaluate your argument and overcome any errors in validity or truth that it may
contain: 1. State your argument fully, as clearly as you can. Be sure to identify
any hidden premises and, if the argument is complex, to express all parts of it. 2.
Examine each part of your argument for errors affecting truth. (To be sure your
examination is not perfunctory, play devil’s advocate and challenge the
argument, asking pointed questions about it, taking nothing for granted.) Note
any instances of either/or thinking, avoiding the issue, overgeneralizing,
oversimplifying, double standard, shifting the burden of proof, or irrational appeal.
In addition, check to be sure that the argument reflects the evidence found in
your investigation (see Chapter 8) and is relevant to the pro and con arguments
and scenarios you produced earlier (see Chapter 9). 3. Examine your argument
for validity errors; that is, consider

the reasoning that links conclusions to
premises. Determine whether your conclusion is legitimate or illegitimate. 4. If
you find one or more errors, revise your argument to eliminate them. The
changes you will have to make in your argument will depend on the kinds of
errors you find. Sometimes, only minor revision is called for—the adding of a
simple qualification, for example, or the substitution of a rational appeal for an
irrational one. Occasionally, however, the change required is more dramatic. You
may, for example, find your argument so flawed that the only appropriate action
is to abandon it altogether and embrace a different argument. On those
occasions, you may be tempted to pretend your argument is sound and hope no
one will notice the errors. Resist that hope. It is foolish as well as dishonest to
invest time in refining a view that you know is unsound.
Format your assignment according to appropriate course level APA guidelines. Answer Preview…………..When people are making statements to argue their position on a subject, they often feel and think they are doing justice to their cause by winning the opposition. The problem with making assertions and statements that are logical is that it is hard for most people to separate their emotions from the issue so as to present a stance that is impartial and full of perspectives. A further reason why no individual is immune from this pitfall is the fact that the confidence he or she exudes does not make the sentences logical or reasonable. Meanwhile, to provide examples of how a seemingly coherent speech may contain hidden premises or errors of the conclusion that may impair its truth elements, we will examine two statements. This examination will be done in accordance per the four steps widely used for identifying truth or errors in an argument so as to validate them…………….APA 1610 words
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