Saturday, November 22, 2014

concerning brilliance in arguments




"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing." - Professor Sample

Constructing an argument is a lesson in anatomy. Each premise has to connect to each other in order to reach the nerves tucked in the conclusion. Inductive arguments are tiny things enmeshed with cartilage and bone - construct them carefully, generalize from the evidence with conservatively, always being mindful of the treacherous uniformity principle. Deductive arguments combine the conclusions of those inductive arguments in various combinations. Deductive reasoning cover a lot more ground than inductive reasoning.

Brilliant ideas jut out from the rest, and therefore by their very nature are difficult to fit back within the rest of the joints of the argument. Therefore, unless your brilliant idea is the heart of your argument - it's the core idea that makes sense of everything else - it will only impede the flow of the argument like cholesterol in a major artery.

Brilliance dazzles the listener. Brilliance also blinds the reader, begging him to decide your case just based on this one fascinating, sexy idea instead of the totality of your reasons.

Shine responsibly.


No comments:

Post a Comment