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THE HEART OF THE ARGUMENT Unit 2 Lesson 2

The document discusses the importance of critical reading skills in an age of overwhelming information, emphasizing the need to evaluate claims made by authors. It categorizes claims into three types: claims of fact, claims of value, and claims of policy, each requiring different evaluative approaches. Additionally, it highlights the significance of recognizing implicit statements in texts to fully understand the author's intent.

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Saiza Jeon
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5 views

THE HEART OF THE ARGUMENT Unit 2 Lesson 2

The document discusses the importance of critical reading skills in an age of overwhelming information, emphasizing the need to evaluate claims made by authors. It categorizes claims into three types: claims of fact, claims of value, and claims of policy, each requiring different evaluative approaches. Additionally, it highlights the significance of recognizing implicit statements in texts to fully understand the author's intent.

Uploaded by

Saiza Jeon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE HEART OF THE ARGUMENT

So much information is presented to us daily through various media,


making it more challenging for us to be selective about which ideas to
absorb and which to take with a grain of salt. Developing critical reading
skills becomes increasingly important as digital technology and the Internet
enable ideas to be expressed and delivered to a wider, global audience
quicker than ever before.

Being “critical” does not mean being automatically suspicious about an


idea or quickly dismissing all claims as fallacies. A critical reader views a
literary piece with understanding that authors have different backgrounds,
experiences, and opinions that influence their writing. Naturally, different
authors will gather and present information in their own unique manner.
Critical reading is a process through which a reader identifies and
understands arguments and ideas presented in text, evaluates supporting
claims, and responds by developing independent conclusions or
counterarguments.

Wearing the “critical lens”, a reader must be able to separate wheat from
chaff; to systematically identify claims that are presented in text.

Claims are statements through which an author conveys or defends an idea.


There are three types of claims that are usually found in a written text:
claims of fact, claims of value, and claims of policy.
1. Claims of fact present an idea as true or false.

An article that aims to present a profile of millennials as part of the


workforce might support an argument with the following claim of fact:

Millennials, or people born in the early 1980s to the early 2000s, perform
better in jobs that require multitasking.

A feature story about health and nutrition might attempt to debunk the
“sugar rush” myth related to children by making the following claim of fact:

Feeding children chocolate will not make them hyperactive.


Claims of fact are found in advertisements, books, news reports, and most
reading materials. Untested claims abound in the Internet. A critical reader will
not easily regard any information as true. He or she will examine the basis of the
author’s claims by asking the following questions.

• Are the author’s claims backed by research findings?


• Did the author use credible sources of information?
• Did the author accurately deliver data presented by the original source or was
the statement a product of his or her own conclusion?
2. Claims of value present ideas either as good or bad, right or wrong,
better or worse. These claims are often influenced by morals, beliefs, and
preferences. Following are examples of claims of value:

Poor communities will benefit from taking stock in social enterprises.

Classical music is more relaxing than pop music.

While many readers allow themselves to be swayed by most claims of


value, a critical reader will probe deeper, look for supporting factual
statements and ask, “By whose standards is it good or bad, superior or
inferior?”
3. Claims of policy present ideas as solutions to problems, usually involving
groups, organizations, or society in general.

Rules on the use of electronic gadgets during class hours must be strictly
imposed to ensure that students focus on their lessons.

Employee bonuses and 13th month salaries should not be taxed.

Critical readers evaluate such statements by looking into the author’s reasoning
or logic behind the claim. Strong claims of policy are often supported with claims
of fact and claims of value. A helpful way to evaluate a claim of policy is to ask if
other authors or scholars have presented counterarguments against a claim.

Implicit Statements

Claims that are stated explicitly, such as the examples provided above, are
relatively easy to identify. However, authors often present information with the
goal of communicating an idea without directly starting it. Understanding that
written text has the power to direct the reader’s mind toward a certain direction,
a critical reader will always aim to extract and properly evaluate implicit claims.
Towards Global Competitiveness: The Issue of Liberalizing
the Domestic Shipping Industry in Favor of Enhanced Trade
(excerpt)
By Lauro Tito C. Ilagan

February 2001

In the late 1950s, container ships set the pattern for technological change
in cargo handling and linked the trucking industry to deep-sea shipping.
These highly specialized ships carry large truck bodies and can discharge
and load in one day, in contrast to the ten days required by conventional
ships of the same size. The rapid development of the container ship
began in 1956, when Sea-Land Service commenced operations between
New York City and Houston, Texas in the United States.

Containerization has undeniably improved freight efficiency due to


economies of scale. However, it has brought with it additional expense to
the shipper/cargo-owner, like cost of repositioning empty containers, and
has developed a whole system whereby freight cost is under the effectual
control of shipping companies.

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