Please sit where you were on Monday.

WarrantsJosefino Rivera, Jr.

Literature and Personal Choice

9 April 2009

Senior Thesis

Materials Pen or Pencil Binder Paper Preliminary Draft #1 or your claims and

evidence in whatever form its in.

Algebra

a = 4, b = 1, c = 0

y = ab+c

y =

Slopes

Evidence: x = 5, m = 2, b = 1

Formula: y = mx+b

Claim: y =

Pythagorean Theorem

Evidence: A = 1, B = 2

Formula (or general principle):

A^2 + B^2 = C^2

Claim: C =

Claim, Evidence

Claim is an argument you are trying to make:

Y = ___ or C = ___

Evidence is the information you are given (or in this case, the information you researched):

x = 5, m = 2, b = 1 or A = 1, B = 2

Warrant: a formula or general principle I claim that y = 11. My evidence is that x = 5, m = 2, b = 1. My warrant is y = mx+b.

Warrant: a general principle I claim C = √13 My evidence is A = 2, B = 3 My warrant is: A B = C

But what if I said Pythagorean Theorem? Warrant A^2 + B^2 = C^2 is implied.

Warrant as a General Principle If warrant is: A^2 + B^2 = C^2 I can claim C = 5, if evidence is A = 3 and B

= 4 I can claim C = 2√5, if evidence A = 5 and

B = 5 Warrants always have two parts:

the evidence and the claim

Warrant as General Principle General Principle (Formula or A^2+B^2 = C^2):

Whenever more resources are invested to prevent something but its incidence goes up (evidence), those resources have been wasted (claim).

Specific Principle (Formula with Specific Numbers or 3^2 + 4^2 = 5^2): Despite Congress’s doubling the budget to reduce drug smuggling, the amount of drugs smuggled into this country has risen (evidence). We are wasting our money (claim).

Construction of a Warrant Whenever (evidence), (claim)

Implied Warrants Most warrants are implied:

Claim: There must be a fire. Evidence: I see smoke. Implied Warrant: Whenever there is smoke

(evidence), there must be a fire (claim).

Implied Warrants Claim: It must have rained. Evidence: The streets are wet. Implied Warrant: Whenever the streets are

wet, it must have recently rained.

Warrants: context of community Context: Mountain View High School Claim: It must have rained. Evidence: The pavement is wet. Warrant: Whenever the pavement is wet

(evidence), it must have rained (claim).

Warrants: context of its community Context: Brooklyn, New York on a hot day Claim: It must have rained. Evidence: The pavement is wet. Warrant: Whenever the pavement is wet

(evidence), it must have rained (claim)…or a fire hydrant was opened (a different claim).

Your Turn Identify one of your minor claims Identify the best evidence for it Construct a warrant, or a general principle

or a formula, that connects the two. You have 7 minutes to do this. You will be

called on randomly to check for understanding.

Problematic Warrants False Unclear Inapplicable

Problematic Warrants: False “Everyone has new shoes, I should get

some too!” Claim: I should get new shoes. Evidence: Everyone has some. Warrant: Whenever everyone has new

shoes, I should get some. This logic is fallacious or false.

Problematic Warrants: Unclear “My soles are dull; I should get new shoes!” Claim: I should get new shoes. Evidence: My soles are dull. Warrant: Whenever my soles are dull, I should get new

shoes. The logic is unclear. Why does a dull sole indicate a need for

new shoes? Because you wait tables and you need a shoe with grip? Because you regularly walk in gravel for work and a dull sole indicates the shoe is wearing out?

Problematic Warrants: Inapplicable “You love me, I should have new shoes.” Claim: I should have new shoes. Evidence: You love me. Warrant: Whenever you love me, I should get new shoes.

OR If you don’t love me, I won’t get new shoes. The logic in applicable because the factor love has nothing to

do with getting shoes.

Problematic Warrants: example Few doubt that when we expose children to

examples of generosity and courage, we influence them for the better. How can we deny that when they constantly see images of malevolent violence and sadism, they are influenced for the worse? We can no longer ignore the conclusion that television violence is one of the most destructive influences on children today.

Claim? Evidence? Warrant?

Problematic Warrant: example Claim: Television negatively influences children. Evidence: When children are exposed to examples of

generosity, they are influenced for the better; when they are exposed to examples of malevolent violence and sadism, they are influenced for the worse.

Warrant: Whenever children are exposed to examples of generosity, they are influenced for the better; whenever they are exposed to examples of malevolent violence and sadism, they are influenced for the worse, so television negatively influences children?

Problematic Warrant: example What should you do?

Find more evidence Change your claim

Whenever children are exposed to examples of generosity on television, they are not influenced; whenever they are exposed to examples of malevolent violence and sadism on television, they are influenced for the worse, so television negatively influences children.

Whenever children are exposed to examples of generosity on television, they are sometimes influenced to do better; whenever they are exposed to examples of malevolent violence and sadism on television, they are always influenced for the worse, so television’s negative influences on children outweigh the positives.

Notes Summary Metaphorical connection: warrants are formulas or general principles They are constructed through two parts: “Whenever (evidence),

(claim)” Warrants can be confusing because most of them are implied, like the

assumption we can make if we see smoke. Warrants, though, need to be placed in context because even with the

same evidence and claim, warrant can change depending on the place, time, person, and other variables (like when the pavement is wet).

Common Problematic Warrants: False: the principle is fallacious Unclear: the principle is unclear Inapplicable: the principle doesn’t apply

That can be fixed by getting more evidence or changing the claim.

Classwork Options:

Research Write Read Models Annotated Bibliography

DUE at the beginning of class tomorrow: Preliminary Draft #2 (5-6 pgs)

NO LATE PAPERS FOR WHATEVER REASON Remember, to qualify for a Final Draft Revision,

you must turn this in.