Assignment 1

Claim: A necessary element of an argument that serves as the thesis of the argument and as an assertion. A claim functions as the idea that the argument is created off of.
Support: The reasons why a claim or assertion is made in an attempt to convince people to agree with your claim. Support functions as the motives behind a claim or assertion.
Evidence: The information that makes the argument stronger by using examples or opinions. Evidence functions as strong points that make the claim and support stronger.
Explanation: The process of clarifying or interpreting your evidence. Explanation functions as the overall strongest part of an argument and puts understanding to the evidence provided.
1)My immediate response to this argument is that this is a very interesting claim. I never really noticed that environmentalism has been acting as a religion for quite some time now. It makes me think about how long environmentalism has been politicized and how much it as halted progression of the environment. I feel that this is a sensitive subject and should be dealt with by the individuals because I think that would be the best nonpolitical answer. The vividness of nature stuck out to me. He explained how nature isn’t a paradise at all and described why it was so negative. That explanation was the most vivid description I have read.
2)Crichton’s tone is certainly a negative one. He loathes on the fact that environmentalism has been following a religious path and not a hard scientific mentality. He is trying to make the reader feel the way he does by offering many negative products in the situation of environmentalism as a religion. He wants the reader to render the realms of ignorance and realize that politicized environmentalism misconstrued.
3) Crichton’s main claim is that environmentalism has become politicized into a religion and needs to be directed as scientific environmentalism. He claims that governments use false evidence in the environment as a way to allow their ideas acceptable pass. He also claims that we can never understand nature as a religion because it has constant changing systems.
4)Crichton supports his claims by explaining the truths behind the history of nature on how it was clearly not originated as a paradise. He used a United Nations estimate on the world population. He uses doctrines and principles of the bible, history of different regions, and puts a little opinion in here and there. Overall, I think his evidence support his claim very well because he touched down on every part of his claim.
5) Crichtons reason for not citing his sources might be that he uses a lot of history that was never written down and that the process of religion cannot be proven as factual or not. I accept his reasoning because it touches a deeper part argument. I don’t think citing or not citing can hurt his reasoning.
6) I think Crichtons argument is strong because it presents a claim, supports his claim with reason, strengthens his reasoning with past occurrences, and explains how this past occurrences relate with his claim.