Types of Claim
A type of claim that says how things should go in the future
What is a recommendation?
What is separating truth from fiction?
Identify the absolute(s) and/or qualifier(s) here: All dogs go to heaven.
Find the unstated assumption: Of course he doesn't get paid well, he has a degree in marketing
What is marketing degrees don't get well paying jobs.
Of course someone as dumb as you would believe that
What is ad hominem?
A guess as to how things will go
This is when you take critical look at the evidence and logic for the claim.
What is examining the justification?
Name the premise(s): Eminem annoys Mr. Tierney, Mr. Tierney frequently does fun things like finger guns and talking sports, therefore the Eminem is evil.
What is "Eminem annoys Mr. Tierney?"
Find the (2) hidden/unstated assumption(s): History and English need to be switched out with more useful classes like math and tax law!
What is that history and English are useless and math and tax law are not.
Walkable cities?! So you're saying that the best way to keep people safe is to take away their cars and make them walk?
Strawman fallacy
A claim that says how things are inherently.
A value judgement
This might happen if you feel that a murder case cannot be determined beyond a reasonable doubt.
Name the conclusion: Gray candy is the future, since I have never seen it, and I have also never seen the future.
What is: Gray candy is the future.
Find the (1) hidden/unstated assumption(s): Lil Wayne should have a memorial the size of the Washington Monument. The best in every field should have a monument.
What is Lil Wayne is the best rapper ever.
Well if you get a tattoo, you will want to become a rockstar and spend all of your money on guitars and go broke and need a loan from loan sharks who you can't pay back, so they will beat you up.
What is slippery slope?
A claim based on the meaning of a specific word or category
When someone says "All the animals in this world are cruel," this might be a good strategy.
What is "examining the strength of a claim?"
Identify the absolute(s) and/or qualifier(s): Most teens, studies seem to agree, tend to be made more anxious by social media. Social media has become universal, therefore, all social media must be banned outright.
Absolutes: has become universal, must be banned outright
Qualifiers: Most teens, studies tend to agree, tend to
Find the (4) hidden/unstated assumption(s): We need to start spending our tax money better, not on things like modern art, like these politicians love to do.
Of course Michael Jordan is the greatest, nobody is better.
What is circular reasoning?
A reasoned inference based on logic
What is a hypothesis?
This might be a good strategy if someone makes a ridiculous claim like "the world is flat."
What is examining the plausibility and credibility?
Identify the premises: Every player who was ever on the Lions hates my father, since they made the first fifty years of his life miserable with consistent losing seasons.
What are my dad was miserable (about the football seasons,) the lions were losing.
Find the hidden/unstated assumption(s): Hong Kong, despite the efforts of China, has kept the population happy, as is evident by the increased population size and life expectancy.
What is: China wants Hong Kon to fail, Happiness correlates to life expectancy, happiness correlates to population size.
Well the King said it so it must be true!
What is appeal to authority?