Thursday, November 4, 2010
Perscriptive Conclusion
In chapter 10 we read, “An appeal to emotion in an argument with a prescriptive conclusion can be good or can be bad. Being alert to the use of emotion helps clarify the kinds of premises needed in such an argument, so we can more easily analyze it.” (p. 194) I though this was a great point in terms of understating the value to looking for emotion in an argument. It also helps us to see that the use of emotion is not always good or bad. The text also says, “each is an attempt to convince someone that he or she should do something.” (p. 194) I suppose this speaks to the core of an argument, and the various appeals to emotion are tools that we can use in our attempts to sway opinion. Emotion is a powerful tool, but one must be careful as not all people react in the same ways.
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I too thought that the point about prescriptive conclusions could be a good or bad thing. For arguments using appeal to emotion, it is a very subjective topic. Appeal to emotion and prescriptive conclusion can be powerful tools but it really all depends on the person you confront with an argument. Depending on the person, they can decide whether they want to see the argument subjectively or objectively. Your explanation of appeal to emotion is very reasonable, for we are able to attempt to sway arguments using appeal to emotion. The core of an argument would be appeal to emotion if the topic of an argument affects emotion. Great examples from the book and great post!
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