Argument Essays

1. Argument Essays

2. Purpose • Intellectual debate about arguable topic • Persuasive writing • Involve critical thinking (truth-seeking) in a multi-system construct • Requires evidence and reasoning from multiple systems • Must judge worth of competing answers

3. Arguments Need Logic • Inductive reasoning • Go from specifics/small groups to general ideas/overall population • Northern, a community college, caters to a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. Therefore, all community colleges cater to various backgrounds. • Deductive reasoning • Go from general/major premise to minor/specific premise • All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Socrates is mortal.

4. Arguments Need a Claim • Last sentence in intro (also called “thesis”) • Should or should not statement • Something writer wants audience to accept as true • Could include limitations (exceptions—general or specific)

5. How to Build an Argument • Deductive arguments • Identify major and minor premise and how you can explain • Premises must be true • Conclusion from premises presents main idea, or “claim,” writer will make • Inductive arguments • Prewrite specific examples and facts throughout body to support the general conclusion you draw from those specifics

6. Support—Evidence (Premises) • Facts • Stats • Observations • Statement of fact (generally accepted as true) • Examples • Stories or other illustrations • Read critically • Put material in your own words to determine agenda and validity

7. Coherency—Logical Order • Prewriteideas, choose points to focus on • Decide if your argument will go from general to specific evidence or from specific evidence to general conclusion • End on strongest evidence

8. Structure—Inductive Argument • Introduction • Attention Getter • overview topic • why the topic is important • Thesis • Identify the topic • Clearly state POV • First point for or against something (specifics) • Examples, facts, and expert opinions • Second point for or against something (specifics) • Examples, facts, and expert opinions • Third point for or against something (specifics) • Examples, facts, and expert opinion • Opposing point with refutation of point • Conclusion

9. Structure—Deductive Argument • Introduction • Attention Getter • Thesis (should/should not statement) • State the major premise(s) and explain • Review generalization, describing what you mean by that statement • i.e., define what is meant by “men” and “mortal” in “all men are mortal” • Offer minor premise (a specific) and explain it • Offer evidence to support minor premise • Focus on facts, examples, and expert opinion • Identify and refute opposition • Conclusion

10. Last Support Paragraph • Presentation & Refutation of Opposition • In last body paragraph • Briefly explain the stand of the opposition • Focus mostly on rebuttal of that point • Do not make personal attacks here (no “mean” wording, like “stupid,” “ridiculous,” etc.)

11. Refutation Paragraph • Makes paragraph stronger by acknowledging and reasonably arguing against opposition • By addressing opposition, dispose of a reason audience might have to disagree • Shows you have thought through a lot of the issues

12. Tips for Argument • If you are allowed to choose your topic, pick something that… • You become an expert on • Is a well-defined, controversial issue • Understand what the issues are and what is at stake • Take a clear position on your argument • Qualifying statements with “I believe” or “I think” weaken the strength of your argument.

13. Tips for Argument • Be reasonable. • Acknowledge other points of view • Make concessions (so-and-so has a good point to the contrary) yet remain firm in your point of view • Arguments are not merely opinions—back up with solid support

14. Logical Fallacies—Things to Avoid • Slippery Slope • If government refuses people the right to live unhealthy lives and to not buy health care, the government will refuse us other rights (like right to bare arms). • Hasty Generalization • The first day of class was boring, so this class on the whole will be boring.

15. Logical Fallacies—Things to Avoid • Causal Relationship • I drank a bottle of water. Later, I became sick. The bottle of water made me sick. • Genetic Fallacy • Volkswagon Beetles were created by Nazis. That car is evil!

16. Logical Fallacies—Things to Avoid • Circular Argument • The health care bill is a bad bill because it offers bad options. • Either/or • Either we stop using cars or we destroy the earth.

17. Logical Fallacies—Things to Avoid • Ad Hominem (attack the person rather than argument) • This is a bad bill because President Obama is stupid. • This bill should be passed because Republicans are against it, and Republicans are morons.

18. Logical Fallacies—Things to Avoid • Ad populum (positive/negative emotional appeal rather than focus on argument) • Continue to buy cars, or else the terrorists win. • Red herring • This bill is proof that socialism is taking over America.

19. Logical Fallacies—Things to Avoid • Straw man (assuming opposition has worst possible motive, oversimplifying argument and attacking the hollowness of argument; misleading representation of opposition) • In response to criminal justice reform to protect wrongfully accused: “So you’re saying that you want to free all of the criminals and leave people even more threatened.”

20. Logical Fallacies—Things to Avoid • Moral equivalence (minor misdeeds are equated with atrocities) • Those who pass this bill are in cohort with the antichrist and will bring about Armageddon. • Republicans are devils for opposing this bill.

21. Soft Thinking vs. Hard Thinking • Did you see the cover of OK!? Jennifer Aniston is pregnant. I’m so happy for her! • Did you see the cover of OK!? The magazine claims Jennifer Aniston is pregnant again, but they have made this claim many times with it turning out to be false. She probably isn’t pregnant. • I’m going to try this new shake that’s out that will help me lost 10 inches in 48 hours! The ad says it works for movie stars.  • This ad claims that this shake will help me lose 40 pounds in one week. That does not sound healthy, so I’m going to do some research first.

22. Journal • Rewrite 1 or 2 sections of the fallacies in the sample essay “The Right to Other Choices” to be more balanced while still maintaining the point of view of the author.