I know this is just the beginning and basics, but thank you for the breakdown of the information in such layman terms, super helpful with processing and retaining the information!
Hi! I'm studying for the November test to try and get into law school in 2026. Feel free to join my Discord for a study group and connecting! Btw - you're not cooked and you can do it! Praying for all of us fr https://discord.gg/b8XaYkZHxk
When it comes to persuasion you can sometimes make the mistake of basing it on emotion be careful to not lean on emotion to determine how strong an argument is. Instead, lean on how strong the support is.
This is insightful. Besides the definition, I have noted that some arguments can to be more persuasive than strong yet others can be stronger but less persuasive. To me, there can also be those that are both strong and persuasive.
LEARNING: I learned the hard way that thinking"I know not to have cognitive biases in the LSAT duh," did not hold true when I got to a topic I was knowledgable in (E.g. having a background in research & getting a question on a theory I studied).
TIP: Read to parse out the support relationship, then I can quickly fish out ONLY what the author is giving me (premises) to convince (aim) me of their conclusion (argument). Understanding the support relationship is a big deal: I ask "the author wants me to believe that? how the hell did he get there?"
Keep an open mind even if you're an expert on the topic - use only what the arg. gives you - don't let your brain add-in knowledge Why? Bc the lsat WANTS to trick us
Arguments that the LSAT loves to use on logical reasoning and we can all relate to is advertisements. Notice how I don’t say an argument from an advertisement, that would be redundant, advertisements themselves are arguments!
Let’s examine the aim. Advertisements at the very core is to persuade your thinking which in turn may persuade your actions that is beneficial for the advertiser. Whether that is to get you buy something, vote for something, like or dislike something is specific to the situation. However, the aim of the advertisement is to persuade for benefits.
Forward thinking of how a argument has a premise/conclusion relationship, an advertisement says “buy our milk (conclusion) because it is higher in vitamin D than any other milk (premise).”
Look, that argument is not strong, vitamin D is one of many variables that goes into high quality milk; also, how much higher exactly? So negligible that the extra vitamin D won’t even be beneficial for the body? The argument is weak. However, say you are a person who is a vitamin D enthusiast, everyday you climb up a 200 feet towers just to get closer to the sun. You might find this argument incredibly persuasive. Although overall, the support relationship is weak.
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38 comments
my brain hurts.
I know this is just the beginning and basics, but thank you for the breakdown of the information in such layman terms, super helpful with processing and retaining the information!
I think its true that Persuasion and Support trick me up sometimes. One can be stronger than the other.
Hi! I'm studying for the November test to try and get into law school in 2026. Feel free to join my Discord for a study group and connecting! Btw - you're not cooked and you can do it! Praying for all of us fr https://discord.gg/b8XaYkZHxk
When it comes to persuasion you can sometimes make the mistake of basing it on emotion be careful to not lean on emotion to determine how strong an argument is. Instead, lean on how strong the support is.
How are you able to identify the premise in a passage?
How is everyone taking notes?
I'm using my Note-taking app on my tablet.
This is insightful. Besides the definition, I have noted that some arguments can to be more persuasive than strong yet others can be stronger but less persuasive. To me, there can also be those that are both strong and persuasive.
What is an example of an argument that is persuasive but not well supported?
good
Wouldn't the aim be "strong arguments" rather than "persuasion"? Since it mentions that some persuasive arguments are incredibly flawed.
Thanks guys, these comments (on milk and houses) are really helpful!
The more the premises support the conclusion, the stronger the argument is ---> logical force!
LEARNING: I learned the hard way that thinking"I know not to have cognitive biases in the LSAT duh," did not hold true when I got to a topic I was knowledgable in (E.g. having a background in research & getting a question on a theory I studied).
TIP: Read to parse out the support relationship, then I can quickly fish out ONLY what the author is giving me (premises) to convince (aim) me of their conclusion (argument). Understanding the support relationship is a big deal: I ask "the author wants me to believe that? how the hell did he get there?"
Keep an open mind even if you're an expert on the topic - use only what the arg. gives you - don't let your brain add-in knowledge Why? Bc the lsat WANTS to trick us
Had to switch it up a bit since I don't relate to baseball
Argument = the house
Support = the design plan of the house drawn out
Premise = the foundation of the house
Conclusion = the roof of the house
Persuasion = the realtor trying to sell the house (the argument)
Lousy parents don't pay child [structure of argument]
Arguments that the LSAT loves to use on logical reasoning and we can all relate to is advertisements. Notice how I don’t say an argument from an advertisement, that would be redundant, advertisements themselves are arguments!
Let’s examine the aim. Advertisements at the very core is to persuade your thinking which in turn may persuade your actions that is beneficial for the advertiser. Whether that is to get you buy something, vote for something, like or dislike something is specific to the situation. However, the aim of the advertisement is to persuade for benefits.
Forward thinking of how a argument has a premise/conclusion relationship, an advertisement says “buy our milk (conclusion) because it is higher in vitamin D than any other milk (premise).”
Look, that argument is not strong, vitamin D is one of many variables that goes into high quality milk; also, how much higher exactly? So negligible that the extra vitamin D won’t even be beneficial for the body? The argument is weak. However, say you are a person who is a vitamin D enthusiast, everyday you climb up a 200 feet towers just to get closer to the sun. You might find this argument incredibly persuasive. Although overall, the support relationship is weak.