Beyond Feelings - Chapter 7&8

Summary

What Is Argument?

What is an argument? We may regard it as “a quarrel”, “the exchange of opinions between two or more people”, or “the line of reasoning that supports a judgment.” The main concern in this chapter is the evaluation of individual arguments, our own as well as other people's.

Arguments can be either complex or simple, like numerical equations, and the conclusion of an argument may proceed from many premises (assertions). But unlike equations, arguments are often more complex and difficult to test. We can grasp the premises and the conclusion in an argument to make reasonable evaluation.

The basic principles logicians use in evaluating arguments are as follows:

1. The premises are either true or false (correct or incorrect).

2. The reasoning that links the premises to the conclusion is either valid or invalid. (To be valid, the stated conclusion, and only that conclu-sion, must follow logically from the premises.)

3. Correct premises plus valid reasoning equal a sound argument.

4. Either an incorrect premise or invalid reasoning will render an argu-ment unsound.

The Basic Problem: ”Mine Is Better”

It is natural enough to like our own possessions better than other people's, so it is reasonable when we favour our own opinions more than others', which can be traced to some form of “mine-is-better” thinking.

The problem is, some people do not understand that each person has a special viewpoint. For them, “mine is better” is a special, higher truth about their particular situation. Psychologists classify such people as either egocentric or ethnocentric.

Thought

People profess enthusiasm for personal growth and development and spend billions of dollars on self-help books, tapes, and seminars, yet they act as if their minds have no need of improvement. This tendency is attributable to a “mine-is-better” perspective, which we all have to a greater or lesser extent.

这段话特别有意思，说到人对自我投资的热情和行为不匹配，日常生活中的确如此！这也的确是mine-is-better的一种解读。

其实这本书和前面读的《如何提问》大同小异，这不过这一本更倾向于应用，前一本更倾向于理论，所以这本书趣味性会更强一些。