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Comparative Reasoning
Disciplines > Argument > Types of reasoning > Comparative Reasoning Description | Example | Discussion | See also
DescriptionComparative reasoning establishes the importance of something by comparing it against something else. The size of the gap between the things compared indicates importance. Compare against a high standard to make something look undesirable. Compare it against a weak example to make it look good. To create a logical argument, first establish the validity of the comparison benchmark. For less logic, the benchmark may be assumed. There are many ways to compare, for example:
Example
DiscussionComparison is a very natural form of judgement as we find it difficult to evaluate something on a stand-alone basis. We want to know if it is better or worse -- but better or worse than what? For persuasion, if you can establish the benchmark against which better and worse is judged, then the rest, as they say, is history. Not only is there a common assumption that the given benchmark item is the right thing to compare against, but the assessment of how much better or worse things are is also assumed to depend on the size of the gap between the item being compared and the benchmark. Several sequential requests make use of this principle, setting a benchmark and then using the contrast of the ensuing gap to prompt desired action. See alsoAssumption principle, Criteria reasoning,
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Site Menu |
| Home | Top | Quick Links | Settings | |
Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories | |
Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guest articles | Analysis | Books | Help | |
More pages: | Contact | Caveat | About | Students | Webmasters | Awards | Guestbook | Feedback | Sitemap | Changes | |
Settings: | Computer layout | Mobile layout | Small font | Medium font | Large font | Translate | |
| Home | Top | Menu | Quick Links | |
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