Keeping Errors at Bay
"Keeping Errors at Bay" is a perspective essay designed with Toulmin's model of argument which mainly focuses on providing an insight on what can be done to avoid silly errors. The following are the elements of Toulmin's model that can be extracted from the essay:
1. Claims and Qualifiers
The writer expresses his claims in the first paragraph of his essay. The claim is: "no superhuman genius is required to avoid foolish opinions to which mankind are prone". The writer has also used certain qualifiers in attempts in limiting his argument's scope. This is done to meet with lesser contradictions and to make the claim as conceivable and believable as possible. The qualifier is seen in the sentence: "A few simple rules will keep you from, not from all error, but from silly error."
2. Grounds
There are three instances of grounds (evidences) seen in the text to provide support to the claim:
a) The first ground is that if the situation or the matter is one that can be settled by one's own observation, one should do it. This can avoid silly errors associated with observations. This helps to avoid the dogmatism, i.e by observations, we can know whether certain things are true or false and we will create the tendency to believe in things having solid proofs.
b) The second ground is the rule which advises people to become aware of opinions that ignite flattery- when one is kept at a very high regard, he/she will think highly of themselves and keep one's own opinion-however wrong they may be- on top of everything else. Thus, it breeds the commitment for more errors caused due to excessive pride.
c) The third ground is that overcoming your fears can be the stepping stone for discovery of reality. When one has fear of something in particular, he/she is too distracted to think independently and freely- whether that be fear of the dark, fear of death, fear for the unknown, fear of the herd, and the vague generalized fear that comes to those who conceal from themselves their more specific terrors.
Thus, terror in one form or the other, hinders those pursuing the truth. The fear of something makes us act irrational at times and that may be the main reason for making silly errors.
3. Backing
Following backings are provided to the above grounds:
1. We have a weakness in believing in something false (we may not know this is false) and sticking to our sense of knowledge as absolute without regarding other's opinions in things. That is, instead of conducting proper observations, we belief in our gut and ignore other possibilities.
2. The best method to escape from beliefs based on weak grounds is to listen to opinions held in different circles of people. That is, acknowledging the opinions given through the perspective of different people and comparing them with your own. Then see what are the differences you find- what opinions are hard for you to digest and likewise for them.
3. We are all in one way or another firmly convinced of the superior excellence of their own sex. We can fully acknowledge other's opinions and beliefs only when we get rid of the superiority complex shrouding our minds.
4. Rebuttal
There are some rebuttals present in the text. One of them is: "Not all evidences are brought to the test of the experiment". It means that if we face a contradiction to our beliefs, we have to reconsider the validity of our own belief. That means we must listen to other contrary opinions, which may have more validity and truth than our own. It would significantly help in getting the correct belief.
Another rebuttal shows that acknowledging opinions of other circles of people or being aware of foreign customs doesn't always seem to be accurate or beneficial. This is shown in the example of when Manchus conquered China.
The rebuttal to second evidence says that it is more difficult to prevent your self -esteem from being flattered. And hence, it suggests the only way to deal with the human conceit of thinking himself superior is to remind him that man is only a brief part in this cosmos which may contain superior beings than us as we are to coelenterates.
"Keeping Errors at Bay" is a perspective essay designed with Toulmin's model of argument which mainly focuses on providing an insight on what can be done to avoid silly errors. The following are the elements of Toulmin's model that can be extracted from the essay:
1. Claims and Qualifiers
The writer expresses his claims in the first paragraph of his essay. The claim is: "no superhuman genius is required to avoid foolish opinions to which mankind are prone". The writer has also used certain qualifiers in attempts in limiting his argument's scope. This is done to meet with lesser contradictions and to make the claim as conceivable and believable as possible. The qualifier is seen in the sentence: "A few simple rules will keep you from, not from all error, but from silly error."
2. Grounds
There are three instances of grounds (evidences) seen in the text to provide support to the claim:
a) The first ground is that if the situation or the matter is one that can be settled by one's own observation, one should do it. This can avoid silly errors associated with observations. This helps to avoid the dogmatism, i.e by observations, we can know whether certain things are true or false and we will create the tendency to believe in things having solid proofs.
b) The second ground is the rule which advises people to become aware of opinions that ignite flattery- when one is kept at a very high regard, he/she will think highly of themselves and keep one's own opinion-however wrong they may be- on top of everything else. Thus, it breeds the commitment for more errors caused due to excessive pride.
c) The third ground is that overcoming your fears can be the stepping stone for discovery of reality. When one has fear of something in particular, he/she is too distracted to think independently and freely- whether that be fear of the dark, fear of death, fear for the unknown, fear of the herd, and the vague generalized fear that comes to those who conceal from themselves their more specific terrors.
Thus, terror in one form or the other, hinders those pursuing the truth. The fear of something makes us act irrational at times and that may be the main reason for making silly errors.
3. Backing
Following backings are provided to the above grounds:
1. We have a weakness in believing in something false (we may not know this is false) and sticking to our sense of knowledge as absolute without regarding other's opinions in things. That is, instead of conducting proper observations, we belief in our gut and ignore other possibilities.
2. The best method to escape from beliefs based on weak grounds is to listen to opinions held in different circles of people. That is, acknowledging the opinions given through the perspective of different people and comparing them with your own. Then see what are the differences you find- what opinions are hard for you to digest and likewise for them.
3. We are all in one way or another firmly convinced of the superior excellence of their own sex. We can fully acknowledge other's opinions and beliefs only when we get rid of the superiority complex shrouding our minds.
4. Rebuttal
There are some rebuttals present in the text. One of them is: "Not all evidences are brought to the test of the experiment". It means that if we face a contradiction to our beliefs, we have to reconsider the validity of our own belief. That means we must listen to other contrary opinions, which may have more validity and truth than our own. It would significantly help in getting the correct belief.
Another rebuttal shows that acknowledging opinions of other circles of people or being aware of foreign customs doesn't always seem to be accurate or beneficial. This is shown in the example of when Manchus conquered China.
The rebuttal to second evidence says that it is more difficult to prevent your self -esteem from being flattered. And hence, it suggests the only way to deal with the human conceit of thinking himself superior is to remind him that man is only a brief part in this cosmos which may contain superior beings than us as we are to coelenterates.
Post a Comment