Toulmin’s Theory (please read all) In arguments, we present a conclusion and convince others to accept it by providing evidence to support our claim. As we discussed when we talked about deductive reasoning, the conclusion and the premises that support it must be linked in order for the argument to be valid. Also consider our initial definition of critical thinking: a conscious and deliberate effort to scrutinize the information we are receiving, in an effort to determine the reasonableness, relevancy and sufficiency of the information. Philosopher Stephen Toulmin outlines a theory to assess arguments. He uses slightly different terms, which may help some of you to better see how to look for reasonable, relevant and sufficient evidence in support of a conclusion. Toulmin tells us that we should assess every argument in three areas: We should identify what the claim is (what conclusion is the argument trying to persuade us to accept) We should consider on what grounds the claim is being made (what evidence or premises are used to support the conclusion) We should assess the warrant (are the premises related to each other and are they relevant to the conclusion) The idea of a warrant is the new concept that Toulmin introduces that may make more sense because it allows us to evaluate relevancy in terms of what is warranted rather than what has actually been proven. When we consider the context of an argument this can be a pretty big distinction. This assignment requires you analyze a newspaper article from the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com), Washington Post (http://www.wpost.com/), Christian Science Monitor (http://www.csmonitor.com) or Slate (http://slate.msn.com). You will use ideas drawn from our readings to find examples of arguments in written sources. You may select a story (news writing or opinion/editorial) on a topic that matters to you. Your assignment is as follows: Read the entire article to obtain a clear understanding of the overall argument being presented. Select at least one quotation (an argument from causation or classification) from the article and analyze it using Toulmin’s theory by explaining the claim, the grounds and the warrant. Post your analysis in the threaded discussion. You should give a brief summary of the article, present the chosen quote in full from the part of the article you are analyzing, and provide the article’s complete URL.