THE evidence
Evidence makes reasons and claims acceptable. (LRS)
Evidence represents states of affairs that are not in question. (LRS)
Evidence can be either quantitative (numeric, statistical) or qualitative (based on observation,
interviews, etc.)
Evidence directly supports elements (claims and reasons) in an argument. “Support” depends
upon an agreement between the writer and its readers that the evidence in fact is related to the
claim and/or reason.
Examples:
Obesity in America is concentrated in America’s poor and young. Thirty percent of American
children live below the poverty line. Twenty percent of America’s children are obese.
What kind of information is this?
What else do you want to know?
How else could you support the first statement?
The price of art is determined by the seller, the buyer, and the cult of personality surrounding an
artist. Damien Hirst’s ability to command a high price for his work only developed after
Salvatore Saatchi began bringing Hirst to important London social events.
What kind of evidence is this?
What else do you want to know?
How else might you support the first statement?
Evaluating evidence:
Is the source reliable?
Does the evidence directly support the argument, or does it actually support an implied claim that
is never made explicit?
Does the evidence make sense? (Is it internally contradictory?)