Questions:
Arguments that Pass Tests of Truth and Relevance
Locate a Twitter feed, Facebook profile, or other social presence for a celebrity. This can be an actor, athlete, musician, or even a religious figure. Choose someone that you are interested in, or someone you've heard a lot about and want to investigate. Remember: You do not need to join a social network to view this information. See Next Steps in the above lesson for more tips on finding this information.
Once you find your subject, observe the ways in which this well-known person chooses to represent himself/herself online. Note trends in the posts by using the criteria that was provided in the lesson, and write 2 paragraphs that describe what you saw.
Here are tests for an argument:
1. Test of Truthfulness of the Premises - The reason is true in each of its premises, explicit and implicit.
2. Test of Logical Strength - If the reason were true, then the conclusion (claim) would be true or very probably true.
3. Test of Relevance - The truth of the claim depends on the truth of the reason.
4. Test of Non-Circularity - The truth of the reason does not depend on the truth of the claim.
Next, describe your selected argument in one paragraph, and then share your observations in 1-2 paragraphs. Did your argument pass the tests? Did it fail the tests? Formulate an argument that you could make based upon the evidence that you saw. State your argument and write 1 paragraph about how your argument would pass the four argument tests, or where you might need more information.