Evidence

HOW TO ANALYZE

Evidence

FULKERSON’S CRITERIA

Sufficiency

Accuracy

Relevance

Typicality

Is the evidence correct and recent?

Is the evidence representative?

Does the evidence connect with the claim?

Is there enough evidence?

TYPES OF EVIDENCE•Data from Personal Experience•Data from Observation of Field Experience•Data from Interviews, Questionnaires, Surveys•Data from Library or Internet Research•Testimony•Statistical Data•Hypothetical Examples, Cases, and Scenarios•Reasoned Sequence of Ideas

Ritalin is a safe and effective drug. My little brother was terrror before he took the drug and now he’s a scholar and a debate club president.


The intersection of Fifth and Cloverdale is dangerous. Last Friday, I watched the intersection for 45 minutes. During that time, not once did cars stop properly for pedestrians trying to cross.


Students should not be required to take match classes.In a recent survery I conducted in all of the Shorewood Math classes, only 8% of students believed that math coursework would help them in their later careers.


High carb/low fat diets are not the best way to lose weight. Walter Willett of the Harvard school of Public Health conducted research that suggests that complex carbs such as pasta and potatoes spike glucose levels, increasing the risk of diabetes.


Despite the claims of environmental skeptics, acid rain is still a significant problem. David Bellamy, president of the Conservation Foundation, remarks, “Acid rain kills forests and people around the world, especially in highly poluted places such as Russia.”


Americans are delaying marriage at a surprising rate. In 1970, 85 percent of Americans between the ages of 15 and 29 were married. In 2000, however, only 54 percent were married (US Census Bureau).


Imagine what would happen if we continue to use biotech soybeans that are resistant to herbicides. The resistant gene might be transferred to an ordinary weed, creating an out-of-control superweed we couldn’t kill--an ecological disaster.


Embryonic stem cell research may have negative social consequences. This research encourages us to think of embryos as mere cellular matter. Currently, we think of animals that we engineer to create, say, heart valves in a similar way. Using human embryos as material to be destroyed could possibly lead to a devaluing of human life.


Your turn: For each category brainstorm strengths and limitations of this type of evidence.

MOSH PITS SHOULD BE BANNED FROM ALL SEATTLE

Technology

Evidence