Justifying your statements

When you make a statement in a discussion,

-you need to prove that it is correct.

- you need to justify it.

-you need to back it up.

 

We can prove that a statement is true by:

1. Quoting a statement from an authority.

-e.g. magazine, dictionary, government publication, research journal

2. Quote a statistic from a reliable source.

-e.g. government publication, almanac, encyclopedia, www(?)

3. Cite general knowledge (everybody knows that...)

-e.g. social rules (you shouldn't pee in public)

-e.g. facts (living in Tokyo is expensive [but not: Tokyo is dangerous])

4. Give a real example of what you are talking about.

-e.g. "Australians excel at sports."

Proof: "Australiians won many medals at the Sydney Olympics."

-e.g. "Canadian cities are clean."

Proof: "I was in Vancouver, and it was clean."

5. Argue from a hypothetical example.

-e.g. "We shouldn't drive too close to pedestrians."

Proof: "If someone fell when we drove by, we might hit them."