Justification & Explanation

JUSTIFICATION

• Persuading is making people believe or do something that they would not otherwise believe or do.
• Justifying is showing someone a reason to believe the conclusion.
• Persuasion tries to change your belief or actions (and bad reasons can do that).
• Justification tries to give good reasons.

Slide 2

• "So I guess the benchmark of success for (many) arguments is not complete persuasion but is how clearly one is understood."
• -- Judith Mirbegian

Slide 3

• Explaining is giving a reason why something happened or why it is true.
• When you justify something, your audience might not believe what you are justifying.
• When you explain something, you and your audience both believe what you are explaining.
• The goal of explanation is to help people understand why something is true.

KINDS OF EXPLANATIONS

• CAUSAL: Why did the bridge collapse?
• The earthquake shook it.
• TELEOLOGICAL: Why did Joe go to the grocery store?
• To buy milk. (Goal)
• FORMAL: Why doesn't this peg fit into that round hole?
• The peg is square.
• MATERIAL: Why is this golf club light?
• It is made of graphite.
• (from Aristotle, Metaphysics, Bk.1, Chs. 3-4; Physics, Bk. 2, Chs. 3 & 7)

Slide 5

• An Explanation in the Form of an Argument:
• General principles or laws + Initial conditions
• = Phenomenon to be explained
• Explanation is an attempt to fit a particular phenomenon into a general pattern in order to increase understanding and remove bewilderment or surprise.