This week’s discussion was in reference to the Principle of Rational Discussion and Repairing Arguments. An example of an argument that needs to be repaired can be compared to the ever-so controversial topic of Marijuana and its medicinal use. For instance:
Argument: “I smoke weed because I can’t sleep.”
Analysis: With just this statement alone, a reader will not have much reason to believe the premise nor the conclusion without more information. Smoking weed allows me to sleep and stay asleep throughout the night, could be an added premise and adding more support to the original argument.
I took the time to actually formulate the full argument and this is what I came up with:
“Given that certain strains of marijuana can be sedative, my use of these strains in fair doses will allow me to maintain a continuous and uninterrupted sleeping pattern, thus my reasoning for using medicinal marijuana.”
Good example on repairing an argument. The initial argument isn’t specific enough, how does smoking marijuana have any effect on your sleeping pattern? Why would I assume that marijuana helps you go to sleep? These are question That could be asked to counter the argument.There needs to be a better premise to make the argument true. Adding that certain marijuana has strains that helps a person have uninterrupted sleep helps the argument sound much better. I now know that marijuana contains something that makes you become sleepy. Good job repairing the argument and turning it from a weak one to a good one.
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