All of us are used to hearing claims that sound too good to be true. Loose 10 pounds this week by eating whatever you want? Become twice as productive by buying and using this app! Avoid these three foods to have clear skin! It’s partly because these claims lack strong support that they are unbelievable. This support can come in the forms of statements by authorities, statistics, testimony, anecdotes, appeals to logic, appeals to character, appeals to value, and more.
Instructions: To become familiar with the role that support plays in an argument, consider the following claim. Learning to meditate and practicing it for 20 minutes will improve your grades and your overall mental and physical health.
Suppose that you don’t necessarily believe the claim about meditation. What could the author of the claim say that would provide support? List several examples. What kind of support would be most likely to persuade you?
