5.10: Review of Major Points

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Bradley H. Dowden
California State University Sacramento

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This chapter examined a variety of ways that writers and speakers communicate less well than we and they expect. Sometimes a writer will unwittingly make statements with low information content, will mask the true meaning with euphemism, doubletalk, or innuendo, will use sloppy sentence construction, or will violate the rules of discourse. The chapter also introduced the principle of charity, which readers use to help interpret materials by writers who do not say what they mean nor mean what they say.

People who make statements have the burden of proving their statements. Their goals should be to stick to the issue, to pursue the truth about the issue, and not to sidetrack, confuse, or con the opponent. Progress can sometimes be made when issues are identified, or they are identified more clearly. It is important to distinguish between the issue that is addressed and the side issues that are suggested. Some disagreements can be settled by drawing attention to the issue, by more precisely defining the issue, by narrowing the issue, and by noticing when one issue must be settled before another one can be fully addressed.

In this chapter we briefly distinguished fact from opinion, introduced the notions of taking a position on an issue, shifting the burden of proof, making a fallacy, and offering a counterargument.