Self-study
Lopez: Our university is not committed to liberal arts, as evidenced by its decision to close the classics department. ███ █████ ██ █████████ █████████ ██ ███████ ██ ███ ███████ █████ ███ ██ ███ ████ ██ █████ ███ ████████████
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Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
Lopez concludes that our university is not committed to liberal arts. He bases this on the fact that the university closed the classics department. To Lopez, studying classics is necessary for studying liberal arts.
Warrington agrees that studying classics is necessary for liberal arts, but points out that other departments besides the classics department involve studying classics. (The implication is that Lopez’s argument isn’t convincing, because the closing of the classics department does not show that the university isn’t committed to liberal arts.)
Describe Method of Reasoning
Warrington points out that an assumption Lopez made (that the classics department is the only department that studies classics) is wrong.
8.
Warrington's argument proceeds by
a
offering additional reasons ██ █████ ██ ███ ██████████ ██ ███████ ████████
Warrington undermines an assumption in Lopez’s argument. He doesn’t support Lopez’s conclusion.
b
claiming that the █████████ ██ ███████ ████████ █████ ██ ██ ███████ ██████ ██ █████████
Warrington does not claim that Lopez’s argument rests on an appeal to tradition. (Appeal to tradition involves arguing that we should do something because it’s always been done that way.)
c
mounting a direct █████████ ██ ███ ██████████ ██ ███████ ████████
There’s no direct challenge to Lopez’s conclusion. His point is that the closing of the classic department isn’t enough to prove Lopez’s conclusion. This isn’t a direct challenge, which would require him to argue that our university IS committed to liberal arts.
d
responding to a ████████ █████████ ██ ███ █████████ ██ ███████ ████████
Warrington criticizes Lopez’s argument. He does not defend Lopez’s argument from a criticism.
e
presenting a consideration ██ █████ ██ █████████ ███ █████████ ██ ███████ ████████
Warrington presents a consideration (that other departments study classics) to show that Lopez’s premises (the classics department was closed, and classics is crucial to liberal arts) does not prove his conclusion (that the university doesn’t care about liberal arts).