00:00 The previous video was about understanding how an argument is built 00:04 so we can read it critically and see if the argument is logical. 00:07 (Make sure you watch that video first.) 00:10 Now, one way to analyze the argument is to look closely 00:14 at the evidence the writer presents and ask if it is relevant and sufficient. 00:19 So, stick around and let's talk about evaluating the evidence. 00:28 Hi! Welcome to Snap Language. 00:29 Marc Franco here. 00:31 So, to build an argument, 00:33 we present a series of claims that lead to a conclusion. 00:37 Of course, the premises in the argument 00:39 must support the conclusion in a way that makes sense... 00:43 um... of course! 00:45 You'd be surprised, though. 00:47 Even an argument that "appears" to make sense may not be really strong; 00:53 it may not even be a valid argument. 00:56 Let's look at a fairly obvious example first. 01:00 "Eckstown is a great place to live. 01:02 "It has many parks and recreation areas where you can relax and exercise. 01:06 "Its parks have vast green areas including trees and wild flowers. 01:11 "The Eckstown Public Library was founded in 1841, making it one of oldest 01:16 libraries in the area." 01:19 In this simple paragraph, the topic is "Eckstown." 01:23 The point the author wants to make is that Eckstown is "a great place to live." 01:28 The author presented three premises to support this conclusion. 01:32 Now, looking at each premise closely, the first is that 01:36 Eckstown has many parks and recreation areas. 01:40 That's actually good evidence. 01:42 Most people would agree that this makes any town a good place to live. 01:46 The next premise is that the parks are green and beautiful. 01:50 Well, that's more information about the parks still. 01:54 What else is there? 01:55 The final premise is that Eckstown has an old library. 02:00 That's great, but... the conclusion is that it's a great place to live. 02:06 Having an old library is interesting, 02:08 but it's not quite *relevant* to that conclusion. 02:12 That's not very closely related to the claim; 02:14 it doesn't provide adequate support. 02:17 So, "pretty parks" is good evidence. 02:20 An "old library?"... 02:22 not so much. 02:24 Is that all? 02:25 Typically, when you think of a good place to live, you think of safety, 02:29 good jobs and schools, 02:30 shops and restaurants, 02:32 good transportation, 02:33 and so forth... 02:35 The author here said "nice" things about Eckstown, but 02:37 one relevant piece of evidence isn't quite enough to support a conclusion. 02:41 [snap] 02:42 "Eckstown is a very safe place to live. 02:45 "Take a quick stroll around town, and you will likely run into 02:49 friendly and helpful people. 02:50 "A study showed a 60% decrease 02:53 in robberies and burglaries in recent years. 02:56 "No violent crimes were reported last year." 03:00 What's the point (or the conclusion) here? 03:03 Does the writer present sufficient evidence to support that conclusion? 03:07 Is the evidence relevant to the conclusion? 03:11 Pause the video and see if you can answer these questions... 03:15 Did you pause the video? 03:17 The main point here is that Eckstown is a safe place to live. 03:22 Starting from the bottom here, no one reported any violent crimes 03:25 last year. 03:26 Yes, that's relevant to being a safe place. 03:30 But what about previous years? 03:33 Maybe last year was different somehow? 03:37 The writer also mentioned no *violent* crimes. 03:41 How about other types of crimes? 03:43 But, overall, no violent crimes could mean it's a safe place. 03:47 So, let's say it's okay evidence for now. 03:50 Besides, we must consider all the evidence, so let's continue... 03:54 There was a 60% reduction in crimes! 03:57 That sounds good... 03:59 Well... that's 60% of what number? 04:02 If there were, say, 1,000 crimes before, 04:05 60% fewer than 1,000 is still a lot of crimes. 04:09 A writer often includes a study and statistics or data 04:14 because they provide strong support to a claim 04:16 and readers tend to believe this type of information. 04:20 As critical readers, 04:23 we know sometimes it only *sounds* good. 04:26 We still need to ask questions 04:28 to see if any piece information truly supports the main point 04:34 regardless where the information comes from. 04:38 Finally, you'll run into a lot of friendly, helpful people in Eckstown. 04:43 Eh! 04:44 The point is that it's a safe place, not how nice the people are. 04:48 As you can see, even when it *appears* there's good information to support 04:53 a conclusion, you should always evaluate that evidence. 04:57 Did the author present sufficient information? 05:00 Is all the information good and relevant to the conclusion? 05:05 In this paragraph?... 05:06 Uh... not so much. 05:10 [snap] 05:10 I'm not saying you should never believe anything you read. 05:13 If we trust the source, it's very likely the writer will do their best 05:17 to support their claims and provide sufficient and relevant information. 05:23 But we don't want to learn something that's not very accurate, right? 05:28 We don't want people to persuade us to believe something 05:31 unless they give us very good reasons to do so... 05:34 So, we should always read critically. 05:37 Always make sure conclusions are logical and accurate... 05:41 and supported by sufficient and relevant information. 05:45 Is that all? 05:46 Yes, pretty much!... 05:48 so, the next time you read something, look closely! 05:52 I often put extra information 05:54 in the description box below a video, so take a look. 05:58 There are more things you can do to read critically, but 06:01 that's all for this video. 06:03 What do you do to read critically? 06:05 Maybe you do something I didn't mention here, so 06:08 put it in the comments. 06:09 For now, click that "like button" 06:12 and subscribe to Snap Language on YouTube. 06:14 And read critically... 06:16 ... use those critical eyes... 06:19 Yeah... 06:20 Bye!