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So what goes in the boxes?
1. No reasoning in a box (no ‘because’, ‘therefore’, ‘but’)
Example: 'The temperatures have been high therefore there must be global warming'
2. Only one thought per box (no ‘and’ or ‘neither’)
Example: 'The proposal meets cost targets and quality requirements'
3. Claims should be full sentences (no 'thought bites' or shortcuts)
Example: 'Lamb roast - Sunday lunch classic'
4. Claims should be capable of being true or false (no questions)
Example: 'Do the two leaders really believe that this demeaning behaviour is what the Australian voters want?'
5. Claims should be to the point (no waffle)
'Very very often sheltered people who are not in the know have expected to see chap-wearing, tobacco-chewing, dusty cowboys on the streets of Houston'
6. Claims should be easy to understand (no jargon, not convoluted)
Example: 'The strikes caused collateral damage among non-combatants'
7. Every box must make sense when read in isolation.
Example: 'Vegemite is healthy. It tastes good'
© Austhink 2007. Rationale Exercises version 0.1, Sep-07
Note: these exercises are undergoing continual improvement. Next time you come back they might be a bit different.
