Reasoning to Writing

The pre-writing process for a critical paper
Read and summarize information on the issue you are considering.
Identify the important or recurring questions on the issue.
List as many answers to those questions as possible - on both (or more) sides of the issue (to avoid weak-sense critical thinking).
State those answers as positions.
For each position,
Identify all the reasons you have discovered in your research.
Write each reason in deductive argument form.
Evaluate whether the logical form of the argument is valid
Evaluate those arguments for soundness, using Modus Ponens and Modus Tollens argument strategies .
Clearly state the possible positions on the issue.
For each possible position, examine your argument structures to gather support for the position. Choose appropriate evidence that will produce the most powerful and coherent position.
Think about the objections or alternatives to the position (see #2 above).
Write a clear thesis statement (including the major objection or alternative, the position itself, and the reasons for that position.)
Develop a sentence outline based on that thesis statement.
Preparing to write a critical paper
College professors ask for critical evaluation of issues
How are we going to apply all this "stuff" we've been studying?
Practice strategies to
Identify issues on a topic
Identify alternative positions on an issue
Develop and evaluate arguments on a position
Write a thesis statement that summarizes the critical thinking process about the issue
Expand the thesis statement into a sentence outline that includes support for each argument
Follow a format to write the outline (first introduced in Chapter Three).
Use the sentence outline as a guide for writing an essay to articulate the critical process and judgment on the issue
A writing strategy helps in any writing assignment, no matter what the discipline.
The critical thinker’s strategy is a good one to fall back on.
Similar processes are useful for the types of writing assignments common in other disciplines.
Researching the issue
Definition of terms
Topic - general area of inquiry – usually given
Issue - specific question on a topic – may or may not require thought on the part of the student
Position - stand or view on an issue – the heart of the paper
The critical thinker’s writing strategy
Familiarize yourself with the thinking on the topic by reading and discussing with others.
Identify questions on the topic that might need to be answered (issues). Include even unusual or unpopular ones. Identifying the question to answer is crucial.
Answer the questions in various ways (generate positions). Consider all answers you can think of that have been or can be given to the questions.
State those positions in complete declarative sentences (position statements).
Consider whether a position might lead to further questions which also could be answered in a variety of ways.
Be specific (rather than broad or abstract) in stating positions (e.g., teenagers vs people). The more focused the question, the more specific can be the response and the easier it is to identify what type of evidence should be considered in its evaluation.
Reject positions that have no substance or are not worth arguing. Consider as many positions on the issue as possible.
Identify one or more promising positions and inventory your knowledge of the evidence for and against the position. A two-column list has the advantage (and disadvantage) of providing a visual evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the position. If the list is really lopsided, you should recognize that it might be evidence that you are using weak-sense critical thinking!
Consider which items on the list are common knowledge and probably need no detailed research and which do need support (and of what kind).
Collect enough evidence and arguments for each position for an honest evaluation of the position.
Type of evidence will vary depending on subject matter and discipline.
Construct as many valid deductive arguments as possible both for and against each position.
Using the Modus Ponens, Modus Tollens, and Disjunctive Syllogism argument strategies
First, create valid arguments for and against each alternative position.
State the position as the conclusion of the argument (usually Modus Ponens or Modus Tollens).
Develop the major and minor premises using specific reasons found through research.
Second, examine the premises to determine how reasonable they are. Explore whether
the premises are relevant and at least probable.
there is a likely causal or conceptual connection between the antecedent and consequent of the conditional in a major premise.
there is sufficient evidence in support of the minor premise.
the premises entail the conclusion.
there are hidden unacceptable or questionable assumptions in the position.
there is an informal fallacy in the argument.
the language is clear enough that the reader can readily understand all claims.
Use the Arguments Worksheet to help in this process.
Choosing the most reasonable position
For each position you have examined, list the arguments in order of strength and relevance.
Choose the most defensible position.
Choose the strongest arguments both for and against the position.
Use the “Argument Strategies Template” to help make the decision.
Constructing a thesis
A simple three-part pattern for a thesis statement is the central part of this section.
Numerous examples in the chapter show that including these three parts in a thesis statement does not mean that the thesis statement has to be wooden.
Use the “Argument Strategies Template” to help formulate a thesis statement.
Expanding the thesis into a sentence outline
Four complete and briefly annotated outlines are included for evaluation.
Each outline is clearly connected with the results of applying the argument strategies.
The better the research and evaluation, the better the outline (and thus the paper) is likely to be.
Staying on target is important; straying off the main point is not good.
Use the “Sentence outline template” to convert your thesis statement and arguments into structured form that you can easily follow to write a paper that develops your thesis statement.
Review and planning sheets
The templates on pages 222-223 are available on this Web site (http://www.bakeru.edu/faculty/aspencer). Students can simply save each template to a file on their disk and provide their own substance.