In chapter 8 of the epstien text, general claims are discussed. These are claims that we use in real life often but don't realize we do. There are 2 types of general claims precise and vague claims.
Precise claims are exactly what they say; they are very clear cut. An example would be "100% of student-athletes are required to to be in 12 units of schooling." It is clear cut that every single student-athlete has to take 12 units of schooling at least.
Vague claims are claims that use, almost, most and many; these are some at least. They don't specify clearly and use much to imagine from readers. An example is, "Many people love Disneyland." This is vague because it uses the word man and doesn't specify how many.
I felt this was an important point in the book because often times students are too vague in essays, speeches and real life communication.
Hello Big Cat,
ReplyDeleteI think that you discussed a very important topic in this post because these precise and vague claims are used every day and not always correctly. Typically, as stated in the book, people often make general claims that involve a large group that are not true. An example of this is that all dogs enjoy activity. This is not true because some breeds of dogs don't enjoy exercise were others need it every day.
Precise claims are more effective in reasoning because people will be able to believe claims made that are specific and more concrete than a vague claim. Thank you for writing about this topic and stating your opinion that students are often too vague because I agree with you.
Love,
hb1