Read as a believer. Read as a doubter. Seek out alternative and analyze sources of disagreements to clarify why participants in the conversation disagree with each other. Evaluate various positions. Strategy #1 reading as a believer: This is what psychologist Carl Rogers calls empathetic listening. This requires the reader to see the situation from the author's point of view and temporarily adopt the author's belief and values, thus suspending any skepticism or biases. The best way to read as a believer is to summarize the argument in your own words. Read for general meaning first without judgment. Read slowly a second time writing brief says or does statements for each paragraph. Five categories are: definitional arguments, cause/consequences arguments, analogy/resemblance argument, evaluation arguments and proposal arguments. Strategy #2 reading as a doubter: To read as a doubter, the reader must raise objections, ask questions, and express skepticism. In the margins, make notes for demanding proof, doubting evidence, and challenge the author's assumptions and values. Strategy #3 seeking out alternative and analyzing sources of disagreement: When analyzing an argument, the reader must evaluate both sides of the argument. Two categories make up the various points of view. Disagreement about the facts or truth of the case. Disagreement about underlying beliefs, values or assumptions. A theoretical definition of a fact is the empirical data on which all parties agree. The disagreement arises over the way facts are interpreted. A second source of disagreement is in the differences of values, beliefs and assumptions. Some
Read as a believer. Read as a doubter. Seek out alternative and analyze sources of disagreements to clarify why participants in the conversation disagree with each other. Evaluate various positions. Strategy #1 reading as a believer: This is what psychologist Carl Rogers calls empathetic listening. This requires the reader to see the situation from the author's point of view and temporarily adopt the author's belief and values, thus suspending any skepticism or biases. The best way to read as a believer is to summarize the argument in your own words. Read for general meaning first without judgment. Read slowly a second time writing brief says or does statements for each paragraph. Five categories are: definitional arguments, cause/consequences arguments, analogy/resemblance argument, evaluation arguments and proposal arguments. Strategy #2 reading as a doubter: To read as a doubter, the reader must raise objections, ask questions, and express skepticism. In the margins, make notes for demanding proof, doubting evidence, and challenge the author's assumptions and values. Strategy #3 seeking out alternative and analyzing sources of disagreement: When analyzing an argument, the reader must evaluate both sides of the argument. Two categories make up the various points of view. Disagreement about the facts or truth of the case. Disagreement about underlying beliefs, values or assumptions. A theoretical definition of a fact is the empirical data on which all parties agree. The disagreement arises over the way facts are interpreted. A second source of disagreement is in the differences of values, beliefs and assumptions. Some
Writing%20Arguments%20Chp%201-4.docx