Chris, Ivy, and Ahmed
RHET 304
Group Critical Analysis Essay
Tuesday, 13th of Oct. 2015
“Lack of Knowledge and Argument”
Our group was given the theory of “Lack-of-Knowledge”. This name is a little bit deceiving, but at the same time, it gives a hint at what is really going on when this tactic is used in arguments. It appeals to people’s urge to jump to conclusions, and also have a concrete answer, regardless of how much logic is used. And just to clarify, there isn't much logic involved in this argument. The most basic and easily explained explanation of this idea, is ad ignorantiam- otherwise known as the lack of knowledge argument- which is the absence of positive proof for the truth. Because there's no proof, that in itself is enough to believe that the argument is false. This argument can also go by, “the appeal to ignorance” , but at its core is a fallacy in informal logic. It can be used both as an argument for truth (A.), as well as to prove something false (B.). A. assume that since something has not been proven false, it is therefore true. or B. assume that since something has not been proven true, it is therefore false. In history this has been used as a last resort, especially in courtrooms when there’s …show more content…
She clearly feels a connection with her own experience in public schools, and this is reflected in her writing. Her article starts with an accusatory tone towards people who send their children to public schools, saying that these people are nearly as bad as murderers. This bold statement sets the tone for the rest of the article, and then Benedikt transitions into the point she's actually trying to get across to her readers. The argument she makes, is if parents stop sending their children to expensive private schools, then the public schools will improve over
RHET 304
Group Critical Analysis Essay
Tuesday, 13th of Oct. 2015
“Lack of Knowledge and Argument”
Our group was given the theory of “Lack-of-Knowledge”. This name is a little bit deceiving, but at the same time, it gives a hint at what is really going on when this tactic is used in arguments. It appeals to people’s urge to jump to conclusions, and also have a concrete answer, regardless of how much logic is used. And just to clarify, there isn't much logic involved in this argument. The most basic and easily explained explanation of this idea, is ad ignorantiam- otherwise known as the lack of knowledge argument- which is the absence of positive proof for the truth. Because there's no proof, that in itself is enough to believe that the argument is false. This argument can also go by, “the appeal to ignorance” , but at its core is a fallacy in informal logic. It can be used both as an argument for truth (A.), as well as to prove something false (B.). A. assume that since something has not been proven false, it is therefore true. or B. assume that since something has not been proven true, it is therefore false. In history this has been used as a last resort, especially in courtrooms when there’s …show more content…
She clearly feels a connection with her own experience in public schools, and this is reflected in her writing. Her article starts with an accusatory tone towards people who send their children to public schools, saying that these people are nearly as bad as murderers. This bold statement sets the tone for the rest of the article, and then Benedikt transitions into the point she's actually trying to get across to her readers. The argument she makes, is if parents stop sending their children to expensive private schools, then the public schools will improve over