Constructing high quality arguments is an art, and requires practice and mental training. We need to learn how to think differently, reacting less with our emotions and more with patient logic. We also learn how to break down a complex issue into its constituent components, which helps us appreciate ambiguity and the value of being open-minded. Understanding the tools of effective argumentation is important for maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships in all realms of life, both in personal and professional settings.
Being an effective communicator depends most of all on strong active listening skills. Good argumentation in turn requires the willingness and ability to listen—to give others the benefit of the doubt. The principle of charitable listening is crucial for having a reasonable debate about any subject. As soon as we write off what the other person says based on our own biases and assumptions, we fail to recognize that there might be other ways of viewing the issue. To reach common ground in an argument, or to “agree to disagree,” it is important to respect that another person’s worldview, grounds, values, and beliefs are critical to why they believe what they do. The greatest challenge in argumentation is recognizing which logical fallacies are coming in the way of a constructive solution to a problem. Likewise, it can be difficult to convince a person who does not recognize that appeals to authority or other common fallacies are actually flaws in their reasoning.
In my daily life, learning the essence of logic will help me to see where I am making faulty decisions. A perfect example is with how I spend money. Marketers are expert at capitalizing on logical fallacies, persuading consumers to change their behavior in ways that are irrational. By recognizing logical fallacies in marketing, I can become a more informed and more intelligent consumer. Likewise, I can become a more critical thinker when reading news articles and refrain from buying into fallacious arguments. I can see how statistics can be misleading, and yet also know that quantitative data is ultimately more reliable than anecdotal evidence or appeals to authority.
Using logical reasoning is easier in written than in oral communications because of the gift of time. When engaging in an oral discussion, there is very little time to reflect on the logical fallacies, and there is a greater tendency for the emotions to come in the way. Considering multiple points of view…
Assignment 1 Abductive reasoning offers the most likely explanation, which may not necessarily be true. Applying rigorous standards of proof helps to show why the simplest or most likely explanation may be the best one at the time, but that more information is needed before the truth is verifiable. Any situation that cannot be immediately explained, from seeming coincidences to the perception of supernatural events, can be attributed to false causes. One
pre-employment assessment tools to select employees result in hiring better workers. If one looks at job applications, sometimes companies may ask the applicant to fill out a survey or perform a test. These preliminary actions help "weed out" potentially incompatible or unqualified applicants in order to allow for an increased focus on suitable applicants. Although logically it seems like a good way to increase the pool of qualified workers
university education. Critical thinking requires that the thinker consider all elements of an idea, concept or statement. There is a wide range of such elements, including the motives of the communicator, the subtext, the timing and more. The ability to analyze these elements and to criticize them and to make conclusions based on sound inferences about these elements is core to critical thinking (Freeley & Steinberg, 2008). Worldview is
When the perceived role and the expected role are incongruent, conflict can occur both between the leader and his followers, and within himself. This can result in a slowdown in production, a lowering of morale and resistance to changes that the leader may be trying to implement (Robbins & Judge, 2007). According to Shafritz & Ott (2005) an organization is essentially a tool that people use to coordinate their actions
Essay Prompt Introduction: Throughout your life, you have been under the leadership of both effective and ineffective leaders. You have also been part of both effective and ineffective organizations. Those memories (both pleasant and painful) are deeply ingrained in your mind, but you may have never stopped to consider why you loved or hated a particular person�s style or a particular organization�s policies. Well, here is your chance! In this class, we have been examining human
He who has learned to disagree without being disagreeable has discovered the most valuable secret of a diplomat." Robert Estabrook To disagree in a polite, yet friendly manner, while appearing to agree, is perhaps the most effective way of being a diplomat in negotiation exchanges. In negotiations, the advantage is lost if one loses one's stance of calm, caring concern for the other party's interests. One will find success at the
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