Making generalizations is very frequent in our everyday lives. It makes sense to voice our opinions on matters by categorizing them all together. Generalizing can make one thing seem worse, or better, than it actually is. For example, I hear, and use, generalizations about school all the time. That in itself is a generalization. I don't literally hear generalizations about school every hour or minute of the day, but I do hear them quite frequently. These types of generalizations are bad, as they include bias towards structuring the argument. Some people aren't big fans of school, and they exaggerate their opinions by generalizing the repercussions of school related problems. Generalizations like this make weak arguments.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Generalizing
We briefly covered generalizations in chapter 8, where we talked about general claims. Chapter 14 goes deeper into generalizations. Epstein sees generalizations as when a sample is used to describe a total population. In other words, generalizations are when one unique situation is categorized and recognized as similar to other situations. This can work, yet, for the most part, generalizations are not affective in making strong arguments.
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I agree with your blog posting. I thing that your blog shows that you really understand chapter 14 and that you truly understand the generalizing concepts within that chapter. You did a great job at breaking down the concept and putting it back into your own words which I found a lot easier to understand then in the text. You did a great job at showing how well you understood the text. You also did a great job at even including examples of your own which also helped me to better understand the generalizing concept. Great job on your blog posting!
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