Human Nature0320 What is ethics? Evaluation practice
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Now let us use the tools we have acquired to evaluate this argument:
Most people from my ethnic background think that my paper does not qualify as plagiarism. Therefore you, my teaching assistant, should not report me.
The first step in analyzing an argument is to identify the conclusion. Key words such as "therefore," "thus," and "it follows that," indicate conclusions. It follows that the conclusion of our argument is the last sentence: "Therefore you, my teaching assistant, should not report me."
What are the premises leading to the conclusion? Answer: "Most people from my ethnic background think that my paper does not qulify as plagiarism.
Are there any other, missing, premises? Yes, because the conclusion does not follow directly from the stated premises. Here it is our job as analysts to assist the arguer by applying the aptly-named "principle of charity." This principle instructs us to be charitable, to help arguers out by generally improving their arguments and, specifically, supplying missing links in their chains.
Here is a key premise missing from the argument:
If most people from my ethnic background think that my action is not plagiarism, then it is not plagiarism and my instructor should not report it.
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