Arguments often leave important assumptions unsaid. Surfacing them helps you understand reasonable disagreement and locate where a proposal needs support. You can practice with a school essay, family decision, or recommendation at work before deciding whether to accept it.
Rebuild the argument
Write the recommendation followed by its reasons. A club proposes moving meetings online because more members have internet access than cars. This also assumes suitable devices, reliable connections, and a place to participate. These are conditions to investigate, not accusations against the proposer. Separate them from established facts so you can see what remains uncertain and which people may experience the arrangement differently.
Use the failure question
Ask what must be true for the reasons to justify the conclusion. Then ask whether the conclusion would still follow if each assumption were false. This distinguishes central assumptions from minor details. Invitation colors probably do not affect access; being able to hear the discussion does. Rank assumptions by their effect on the recommendation instead of treating every imaginable concern as equally important.
Check a consequential condition
Choose one important assumption and find a feasible check. Ask members about access, provide telephone participation, or try one meeting before changing permanently. Avoid collecting endless hypothetical objections that cannot influence the choice. Examine your preferred alternative too: familiarity can hide its assumptions. A useful check should produce a clearer judgment, a specific improvement, or a better question rather than merely making everyone more doubtful.
Put it into practice
Put it into practice
- Write a decision you support and your main reason.
- List three unstated conditions that reason depends on.
- Select the most important and design a respectful question or small check to learn whether it holds.
Sources & further reading
- Texas A&M University Writing Center: Critical Thinking ↗
- Harvard College Writing Center: Counterargument ↗
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