[lit-ideas] Re: (No References: <8659f5a00804251733t5680f057j1eb722a0b748ef56@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

wokshevs@xxxxxx wrote:

Philosophy embraces, rather , "argument" as  - to offer my highly technical
definition - a bunch of statements some of which function as premises (reasons)
and one of which functions as a conclusion. (There is also an inference, but we
need not bog ourselves down in details.) Reasons are called premises because
they are the "grounds" upon which our beliefs and actions rest for
justification. Isn't that an interesting etymological connection? (You are now
supposed to go "Oooooh!" in unison.) This requires "rational spontaneity" - a
condition which .... never mind, I must prepare for the game tonight.


My point, lest I forget it, is that argumentation is a matter of justification
and has nothing to do in its epistemic function with violence. . . .
I teach a lot of introductory level philosophy classes. (An AWFUL LOT of intro classes!) I used to try to get students to examine readings for an "argument" in the good sense above, and to present arguments of their own about those readings. But after a while, I saw that the students didn't know how to read or present arguments because they didn't appreciate the "concepts" being used in those arguments; there was a step missing, the step of thinking about a concept, rolling it around in one's mind, playing with it to see where it goes, finding out what it is and what it isn't, appreciating how powerful or how insignificant it might be, and only THEN trying to see how one could use it in an "argument." This required more than just defining terms, it required exploring the terms, seeing them in action, contemplating them. So now my class is half about concepts and half about how those concepts can be defended, expanded, justified, or cross-examined through argument. 


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