remembering to ask questions
Some phrases in academic argument are used to assert that an argument has been successfully been made. If someone’s really good at using them, it can make their arguments feel better than they actually are.
One countermeasure is to learn what those phrases are, and to use them as indications that it’s time to check to see if you agree with their argument.
A few examples of phrases that often work this way:
- “It is clear that…"
- “We have seen..“
- “Now it is evident..”
- “It has been demonstrated…"
- “It follows from…"
- “It goes without saying that…"
If you get into the habit of reading things like this as questions, it becomes much easier to tell what you think the answer is.
eg:
- Do you think it’s clear?
- Have you seen the point being made? Do you agree with it?
- Do you think it’s evident from the evidence the author brought?
- Do you think it has been demonstrated?
- Do you think it follows from that?
- Do you think it goes without saying? Do you think it’s true at all?
tl;dr Some rhetorical devices make arguments feel better than they are. Getting into the habit of seeing them as indications that it’s time to ask a question makes it easier to evaluate arguments on their merits.
pillowah liked this
goldkirk liked this greatstudyyyy reblogged this from realsocialskills
literally900bees liked this
media-stuff reblogged this from roseapprentice herinternetdaze reblogged this from realsocialskills
sophisticated-bookworm liked this justmesonnaya liked this
belljar6-blog liked this
castielbadassofthelord liked this
insidethequiet liked this
mugglesmustdream reblogged this from false-dawn
prinxvariety liked this
kanthia liked this
false-dawn reblogged this from reajeasa rhetoricrick-blog liked this
swaddlethemoon-blog liked this
sweetymutant liked this lovethroughsimpleandthestruggle liked this
junaliesinwintersleep liked this
litanyofneed liked this
meiriona liked this
somnilogical liked this
just-paint-the-roses-red reblogged this from thedefiantgoddess
working-on-my-brain-blog reblogged this from realsocialskills
perfectlycrazydragon reblogged this from realsocialskills
digitalautography reblogged this from realsocialskills and added: Reframing for autobiography: “As my experiences have shown…” “It’s my experience that…”Even better in the classroom:...
ryanedel liked this
tuesdayisfordancing reblogged this from neurodiversitysci
fuzzylems liked this sadisticscribbler reblogged this from neurodiversitysci
sadisticscribbler liked this
toreblogallthethings liked this neurodiversitysci reblogged this from realsocialskills and added:
A really great point about how academic papers use certain summary phrases to say:I have just finished my argument. My...
aquietfortitudeandstrength liked this
l7root liked this
caterjillar liked this
- Show more notes