"試験官は、何も知らない、何も見えていない、そしてすぐに忘れる"
哲学科の学生に対して、最初の試験に臨む際の、彼らに対しての「言葉」です。試験は、1時間で3つのテーマ、それぞれが、2ページの長さ、正しい論理、良く理由づけられたものであること。上級講師が、この「言葉」を説明します。
‘Examiners are stupid. Pretend they know nothing. So, show them how your evidence supports your claim and why you have reached this particular conclusion.
'Examiners are blind. Pretend they can’t see. So, show them where you’re connecting your points.
'Examiners are forgetful. Pretend they’re your grandmother. Repeat your claim at the end and leave her with something she won’t soon forget.’
Even today, I use my lecturer’s words to check that my arguments logically flow. But they’re not just useful to me; they’re useful to you, as well.
Reasoning is what makes or breaks your argument. A well-reasoned argument is what gets higher logic scores in the GBC and what could convince your next client to follow your advice.
Reasoning: What is it?
Reasoning is what makes or breaks your argument.
Simply put, reasoning is the way you connect two ideas together. It answers the questions ‘How?’ and ‘Why?’
Pretend they know nothing
Take this question for example: ‘What is the best type of food in the world?’
Claim: 'Sushi is definitely the best food in the world; mainly, because it’s delicious.’
How is it delicious? For instance, it is said to create the sensation of umami in diners’ mouths. To tasters, umami inspires salty, bitter, sweet, and sour flavours all at once.
Why is this important to the argument? By virtue of this*, umami is considered by food critics to be the most complex of all flavours and found only in the finest foods.
Conclusion: Accordingly**, sushi is recognised internationally by critics as one of the world’s best foods. This is why it should be called the 'best' food.
* umami inspires all flavours all at once
** as a result of this complexity of flavours and the opinion of food critics
Pretend they can't see
As well as answer ‘How?’ & ‘Why?,’ well-reasoned arguments make it clear to examiners where connections are made. Usually, this is done by using adverbs and adverbial phrases.
When I answered the question ‘How?,’ I used the adverbial phrase, ‘For instance,' to show a connection between my claim and evidence. I could have used:
- ‘An example is ...’
- ‘For example...’ or even a sentence like,
- ‘Surely, you’ve heard of sushi and its powerful taste of umami,’ as well.
I also used adverbs and adverbial phrases to answer the question, ‘Why?’ I used ‘By virtue of this,’ to explain why my evidence related to the claim.
In the conclusion, ‘accordingly’ and 'This is why' were then used to connect my ‘Why?’ to the claim.
What other adverbs or adverbial phrases could I have used instead?
Pretend they're your grandmother
Finally, examiners are like your grandmother—repeat what you’ve said and leave them with something they won’t forget.
In the example argument, I repeated ‘world’s best food’ in my conclusion, as it was part of the claim. Notice that my wording was slightly different to the claim’s. Making the wording of your conclusion different to your claim's shows variety.
After summarising, finish with a bang. For my example, I could have said: ‘Wow. All this talking of sushi’s made me a little hungry. I think I’ll get some, after the exam.’ Whatever you say, make it relevant and make the examiner remember it. Make sure that your answer has an ending—a "So what?"
But you are enlightened, aware, and mindful
If you follow the above suggestions, you should find that your reasoning skills improve.
Just be sure to remember: Examiners are stupid, blind, and forgetful. So, explain everything for them.
