Forming Judgments, and the Development of Sound,

¶ … forming judgments, and the development of sound, persuasive arguments. Inquiry helps eliminate first impressions, preconceived notions and biases through a process of investigation of issues. The investigation itself could be either an inquiry into facts or an inquiry into opinions. Given the widespread availability of information, a key aspect to conducting inquiry is the ability to be realistic about how final the answers are likely to be. One good way to determine this is to evaluate when the evidence is sufficient to permit the making of a judgment with certainty or if the evidence gathered is enough to demonstrate that one view of the issue being investigated has the force of probability. Points that need to be borne in mind while forming judgments include the need to distinguish between: typical and atypical personal experiences; the person and the idea; what is said and how it is said; why people think as they do and whether what they think is correct; and between matters of preference and judgment. Such distinctions are vital in order to ensure that the judgment expressed contains a balanced view, deals with probability, includes appropriate qualifications, and helps make the predicate exact. The forming of good judgments or conclusions will also help in persuading others of the view taken in an argument. However, sound arguments alone are not sufficient in persuading others. For persuasion also requires the ability to: understand the audience viewpoint; begin from a common position; concede where the opposing side has a point; and take a positive approach. But the real key lies in sound arguments.