The Journaling of Hinton 389

This handout discusses assumptions using a sample article about environmental racism and Hurricane Katrina. All arguments require assumptions. This handout discusses different types of assumptions and gives examples. An assumption is a point that the author doesnt even try to prove. Rather than proving the assumption, the author simply assumes it is true. Remember: An assumption is not a point that the author tries to prove and fails. Its a point he or she doesnt even try to prove. An assumption can be proved and disproved. An assumption can be expressed only as a complete, declarative sentence (not a question, not a word or phrase or fragment). The author never tries to prove an assumption, whereas the author always tries to prove the thesis. The thesis is what the paper is aiming at; the assumptions are what it starts from. An assumption on which the argument depends is also sometimes called a premise. They are assumptions, because no attempt is made to prove them. Post has been created with https://essayfreelancewriters.com!

We just assume they are true. But the third statement depends on them: if they are true, it is true. If either of them were false, the third statement would be either false or unproven. All arguments—all attempts to prove something—require assumptions. They are not bad; they are, on the contrary, essential. If you tried to prove every point you would never finish, because every proof would depend on another point or points, which would have to be proved, and so on to infinity. So you need assumptions, but you also need to be careful with them. Know what they are, test them to be sure you think theyre valid, and try to use only those that your reader is likely to share. Think about proving a thesis. One simple procedure for doing so is as follows. We begin with the thesis—the point we want to prove. Then, we list points we would have to prove in order to prove the thesis. Then we list points needed to prove those points. That process could go on forever—but at some point you have to stop. This content was written with the help of Essay Freelance Writers.

At that point you assume no further proof is needed. analytical essay thesis is knowing when to stop, which points do not need proof. Thesis: The overall point the essay is trying to prove. Assumption: At some level you stop proving points. You just assume theyre true. As you can see, most arguments actually involve many assumptions, at least one for each sub-point. To keep things simple, Ill usually refer to “assumptions.” But most of the time, when talking about assumptions Im talking about the special subset of assumptions called premises—the ones that are needed to prove the thesis. Assumptions can be either explicit (directly stated) or implicit (not directly stated but implied). When you identify someones assumptions, look for both kinds. An explicit premise in the sample article is the statement that “the stranded were poor, black, disproportionately elderly” (paragraph 5). The author states this but makes no attempt to prove it, probably because she figures its obvious: No proof needed.

An implicit premise in the article is the assumption that racism is a bad thing. She never says this, and she certainly never tries to prove it, but it is basic to the point she is trying to make. Notice that an assumption can be, and often is, perfectly reasonable. Assumptions are not necessarily errors—they are an indispensable part of any argument, the bedrock on which it rests. Some assumptions deal with facts, like the statement “all men are mortal.” An example of a factual assumption in the sample article would be the statement about those stranded in New Orleans. Other assumptions are analytical. They are based on facts, but they go a step further in making some sort of statement about those facts—interpreting them, analyzing them, explaining them, judging or ranking or weighing them. ” caused environmental racism (paragraph 5). This assumption goes beyond measurable or observable data to examine meanings and relationships.