In Chapter 8 of Epstein's text, I learned about the general claims that consists of the words, all, some, only, no. I found this really helpful because I am currently enrolled in English 1b which is similar to this Critical Thinking course. Many generalizations are often made with these terms, which in fact, is not true. In the text, it defines the terms: all means "every single one, no exceptions;" some means "a few or at least one;" no means none at all; and only means no more than, or exclusively.
An example would be "All parents are so strict and mean." This is a hasty generalization because not ALL kids think their parents are strict or mean. Some parents are actually pretty nice and understanding. Plus, this seems like a subjective claim because it is one's opinion towards his or her parents. It could also be a person's own experience because of the way their parents treat them. This happens to a lot of my friends. They always tell me that their parents are so strict because they do not let them go out and hang out with their friends, but in reality, their parents might be doing the right thing. Parents want their kids to be safe and careful! On the other hand, some friends tell me that their parents let them do anything.
Agreed! I hear that all the time too. "All parents are out to get their children and don't want them to have any fun!" Ha come on, my parents are great so they are obviously wrong with the claims they make about "all parents".
ReplyDeleteI think the word "all" gets used in claims a lot more than it should be. It is usually assumed that everything else is the same as the persons experience. A way to fix or repair the argument could be: "From my experience I have found some parents to be more strict (or whatever) than others, including mine."
This true a general claim does consist of the words all, some, only, no and more. The example you used is easily relative to anyone. Because not all parents are strict or are extremely strict. Using the statement “ All parents are so strict and mean” truly is a vague statement because not all of it is true. This would a invalid claim. I would believe that this is a subjective claim because it is mainly based on one’s opinion; therefore this could not be an objective claim. This example is wrong in some points of view and some are right on other points of view. Not everyone will think that this statement true based on their experiences.
ReplyDeleteOh man, I can’t count how many times I have heart the phrase, “all parents are so strict and mean.” I didn’t hear it exactly like that, but I’ve known many people who have said that their parents were strict and mean. I think, in high school, I may have said that myself at some point. However, this is a general claim especially because all parents are not strict and mean. Yes, people will encounter some parents that are indeed strict and mean, but I have met many that are from it. I also agree with you that parents are just trying to protect their children and want them to do the right thing. I learned that lesson years later. I think it takes a person a long time and experience to truly understand why parents say certain things. And the kids should take critical thinking to learn the concept of general claims!
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