Monday, May 9, 2011
Things I Learned
When I looked back on this past semester, I felt overwhelmed with how much I learned within a short period of time. I learned that the important thing about making a claim or argument is that the way you form them plays a very important role. This was the concept that stuck out most to me because people make claims every single day, whether they are good or bad. Depending on the way you form these arguments and claim determine if they sound good or bad, or if people will agree or disagree with you. Now that I have learned about these concepts, I know now to make claims that are too vague or misleading because they can be considered as fallacies. Misleading and vague claims will determine that your argument is weak and you will not be able to prove your point as strong or valid. I can easily say that people today come across many arguments and situations that involve debating or speaking their own opinions, and that they must understand that forming arguments will prove your point. I believe that many people will use the many concepts we learned throughout this semester in the future, regularly or even in their professional career.
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Yeap, there was a lot of reading to take in within one week and yes, the concept of making a claim or argument was an important topic to understand because we always use it in everyday life. I think learning this concept has made a bit more conscious of the things I tell people. It also makes me think of the things people tell me that they claim to be true and whatnot. Also when I read articles especially political articles, I tend to look for those fallacies that politicians make, and they are there! So yes, I guess I would have to agree that this was a concept was one of the more useful concepts learned this semester.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you mentioned using these concepts in our professional career because in the future we need to talk to our bosses or managers or maybe even during interviews. When they ask you questions such as "Why were you late today?" or "Please explain why your GPA was XXXX" or maybe even when you ask for a pay raise. You need a proper way to form a plausible argument and sound convincing at the same time. Of course, sometimes asking for a pay raise could be easier said such as a company policy where you work a certain amount of hours and you are automatically allowed a pay raise. Or, you can simply say there was traffic if you didn't want to tell your boss you "over-slept" or "under-slept" because of some dog knocking over the trash can and your neighbor comes over to scold you and your dog.
ReplyDeleteI agree that most of the semester was improving on how to make an argument strong, valid, good or bad. Everyone makes a claim or an argument that they do not know about or sometimes they do not think they are making a claim but they are. I also learned how to make arguments are are misleading, too vague or a strong argument. The techniques in the book taught me a lot about making arguments and I could further use in the future. I has also taught me to become a better "BS'er" when im trying to prove a point to my friends or even to my boyfriend. It allowed to think outside the box.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. I also posted that this concept is the one thing i will keep with me forever. Because in our everyday life we use the concept a lot, even when not realizing. This is true not all claims or arguments are strong, valid, good, or bad. In order to determine this you must know the content of the claim itself. I agree with you that everyone in the future will use this concept. It is a good concept to learn especially in the business place or even at school. Debating and communicating is the way of life. Everyone must communicate. Great post!
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