Critical thinking
This topic shows you how to think critically, find hidden contexts and read between the lines
What is an argument?
An argument is a series of sentences, assertions or assumptions, which contain premises and conclusion. Premises should give reason for conclusion. The aim of argumentation is to explain, persuade, and reason. We should not confuse argument with simple statement. Statement offers objective information, but differently from argument, it does not try to persuade or advocate any conviction.
Argument can be right or not, it is a neutral term referring to the structure of the information, not to its rightness. It means that also a bad argument standing on illogical or false basis is still considered to be an argument.
Example of illogical argument
1. Catholics are often conservative.
2. Voters of KDH are often conservative.
1 + 2 = Catholics are voters of KDH
Sounds reasonable, isn’t it? But it is certainly not well reasoned. Let's use it the same way with different content:
A. Miro Šatan is a great hockey player.
B. Zdeno Chára is a great hockey player
A + B = Miro Šatan is Zdeno Chára