Description
Paul Waldman address and dissect common enthymemes used in everyday life (albeit political messages). You may also find enthymemes used in advertising and interpersonal interactions, often with ethical problems emerging when parts of an argument are disguised or omitted and when an emotional (pathos) appeal is made without evidence (logos) to support it Respond to Waldman’s (2003) claims that “[O]nce misconceptions are known, journalists have an obligation to highlight the facts in a prominent way, writing stories specifically about where people have misunderstood or been misled, and correcting the misimpressions. The average citizen can’t be expected to wade through the euphemisms and competing claims, research the evidence, and come to a conclusion about who’s telling the truth and who isn’t” (p. 4). Do you agree that the media have a responsibility to reveal faulty or partial arguments that have been circulated by government officials or politicians, including those that have been circulated in the press?