JUDGING THE RELEVANCE AND

WORTH OF IDEAS, SOUNDNESS OF

AUTHOR’S REASONING, AND
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE
PRESENTATION
OPINION- a personal claim that does not
necessarily require support and certain qualities.

ARGUMENTS- a claim that needs to be

worth making, valid, sound, logical, and must
be provided with reasonable, relevant, and
sufficient support.
Which is opinion and which is arguments?
An arguments tries to convince us that something
is true.

Conclusion- the idea we are convinced to

believe.

Premise- the support or reason showing that the

conclusion is true.
Conclusion Premise
Social media Because it makes
platforms bring a communication and
lot of benefits. information
dissemination a lot
easier.
There are some words or phrases that may as your
cue words in determining conclusions and premises.

CONCLUSION INDICATORS:
therefore, hence, implies that, it follows that, so,
thus, consequently.

PREMISE INDICATORS:
since, for, give that, for the reason, because, as, is
shown by the fact that.
 I believe otherwise.
Social media platforms bring a lot
of benefits because it makes
communication and information
dissemination a lot easier.
Activity:
1. Writing an essay is laborious.
2. Travelling is an interesting experience since it is an
opportunity to widen one’s horizon by meeting
other people and emerging in other culture.
3. Answering modules is a fruitful learning
experience.
4. Attending online classes is enjoyable because you
get to virtually interact with your classmate and
teachers.
5. The novel we were assigned to read is somewhat
boring.
Answer key:
1. Opinion
2. Argument
3. Opinion
4. Argument
5. Opinion
VALID- if the premise logically supports the
conclusion.

SOUND- if the argument is valid and if the

premise and conclusion altogether can be
verified true.
 LOGICAL FALLACIES

Logical Fallacies threaten the

soundness of your argument.
Fallacies are considered errors in
reasoning.
Examples of Logical
Fallacies
1. Hasty Generalization
Making assumptions about a
whole group or range of cases based
on a sample that is not enough.
Example:
my roommate said her philosophy
class was hard, and the one I’m in is
hard, too. I warn you, all philosophy
classes are hard!
2. Post Hoc
Stressing that two events or
concepts are related in the sense that one
cause another when they’re actually not.
Example:
It was cloudy this morning, so Sarah did a
‘sun dance’ and it not rain.
(the sun dance may not have been the
reason for the rain not coming)
3. Slippery Slope
claiming a sort of chain reaction
will take place, usually ending in some
dire consequence, but there’s really not
enough evidence.
Example:
‘Animal experimentation reduces our
respect for life. If we do not respect life, we
are likely to be more and more tolerant of
violent acts like war and murder. Soon our
society will become a battlefield in which
everyone constantly fear for their lives. It
will be the end of civilization. To prevent
this terrible consequence, we should make
animal experimentation illegal right now.
4. Appeal to Authority
Referring to known personalities
to back up a claim, but aren’t really
expert particularly in line with the issue
at hand instead of citing evidence.
Example:
We should abolish death penalty
because may respected people, such as
actor Guy Handsome, have public stated
their opposition to it.
Identify the fallacy of the given statement.
4. Shiela is on a vacation and decided to visit
another country. Upon arriving at the airport, she
tried asking a local about directions on going to
her accommodation. The man ignored her. She
was convinced that the locals there are snobs to
other nationalities.
DO’s in writing ARGUMENTS
• make sure your argument consists of a
conclusion and premises.
• review if your conclusion and premises are
logically related.
• use conclusion and premise indicators if
necessary.
DON’Ts in writing ARGUMENTS
• Do not use logical fallacies in your
arguments so as not to mislead or even
worse, to intentionally trick your readers
into believing your arguments.
• Do not forget to verify if the bases of
your conclusion and premises are valid,
true and reliable.
• Presentation or Text Selection (10 minutes):
– Provide participants with written texts or recorded presentations (these can be on a variety of topics, but it's preferable that they
are engaging and thought-provoking). Ensure the texts or presentations are of varying quality, with some containing clear, valid
arguments and others being less convincing.
• Evaluation Criteria (10 minutes):
– Introduce the evaluation criteria for this activity, which may include assessing:
• The relevance and importance of the ideas presented.
• The clarity and coherence of the author's reasoning.
• The effectiveness of the presentation, considering factors like organization, engagement, and use of supporting evidence.
• Any logical fallacies or gaps in reasoning.
• Small Group Analysis (30 minutes):
– Divide participants into small groups (3-4 members per group).
– Assign each group a specific text or presentation to analyze based on the provided criteria. Encourage participants to take notes
and discuss their observations within their groups.
• Presentation and Discussion (20 minutes):
– Each group presents their analysis to the class. They should discuss the relevance and worth of the ideas presented, the soundness
of the author's reasoning, and the effectiveness of the presentation. Encourage a critical discussion by asking questions like:
• "Do you find the ideas presented to be relevant and important?"
• "Is the author's reasoning clear and logically sound?"
• "How effective is the presentation in conveying the message?"