Critical Thinking

Additional Evidence, Counter-Examples & Analogies

We have seen that thinking through the consequences of a particular argument is an effective method for deciding how strong (or weak) it is, but it is not the only one.  Another way is to consider the impact of:XXX

• additional evidence (material of a factual nature, used to support or develop a reason),
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• counter-examples (used to challenge a general claim or argument), and
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• analogies (appealing to a parallel or similar case in order to shed light on the first)

• Additional evidence can be used to strengthen, weaken, confirm or refute an argument, hypothesis or explanation.
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• Counter-examples function in one of two ways.  Firstly, they can be used to question or refute a general claim or argument and secondly, they can be considered and then responded to in order to strengthen one’s own reasoning.
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• Analogies can be used as an effective shortcut for getting to grips with a difficult idea. A comparison can be drawn between an idea that might be new and fairly complex, and one that should be familiar.
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