Step 1. Read the dialogue (below) and the additional linked resources. How would you
continue this dialogue? What would you say? Give your response on the value of a college
education and the outlook for future job prospects.
Then compose a response that includes the following:
• Explain why this is considered an argument in the logical sense (i.e., in the
sense that our text uses, not the conventional sense of an argument as an
“angry quarrel.”
• What is the connection (if any) between the premises and the conclusion of
your argument? That is, what role do the premises play with respect to the
conclusion?
Post your initial reconstructed argument, your explanation and continued dialogue response on
the DB. Then come back and follow the instructions for Steps 2 and 3.
Dialogue
Additional resources for your review:
Then reconstruct one (or more) simple arguments from this dialogue (could be Hiro’s, Angie’s
or your own) using standard form (P1, P2, Pn …/C). Add appropriate premise indicators and
conclusion indicators in your reconstructed argument format.
Hiro: I’ve decided that I’m going to withdraw from school because it’s really hard to keep up
with school work, it’s expensive and besides I want to get married to my girlfriend. I know I’m
only 20, but I also feel like I’m not learning anything useful. I think I’d be better off trying to
get a full time job.
Angie: I disagree. Education can give you options for the future. If you have qualifications you
can get different jobs, better promotions, and people take you more seriously. Plus, you’ll
experience personal growth and better self-esteem. So you really ought to get your college
degree.
Hiro: Well, my uncle finished high school, got married at 18, and he is doing just fine. He’s
got three kids, drives a bus, gets a good salary and he enjoys life. He told me that not going to
college and starting a career early was the best thing he could have done.
You: CONTINUE…
• How necessary is a college education?
• Unemployment rates for college graduates vs. high school graduates