Transcript ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS

ARGUMENTATIVE
ESSAYS
A process of reasoning that assert the soundness
of a debatable position, belief, or conclusion.
• Argumentation is the appeal to reason (logos).
Understanding
Argumentation and
Persuasion
• Choosing a Topic
• The right topic is important
• Intellectual or emotional stake in the topic
• You should be open-minded and willing to consider all sides
of a question.
• If you cannot be open-minded, you should choose another
topic you can deal with more objectively.
• Should be well-informed about topic
• Purpose should be clear
Planning an
Argumentative Essay
• Developing a Thesis
• Must take a stand – be debatable
• A good thesis states a proposition that at least some people
will object to.
• Arguing a statement of fact or an idea that most people
accept as self-evident is pointless.
Planning an
Argumentative Essay
Thesis
Antithesis
• Education is the best way to
address the problem of
increased drug use among
teenagers.
• Because immigrants have
contributed much to the
development of the United
States, immigration quotas
should be relaxed.
• Education is not the best
way to address the problem
of increased drug use
among teenagers.
• Even though immigrants
have contributed much to
the development of the
United States, immigration
quotas should not be
relaxed.
Test your Thesis
• Evidence can be fact or opinion. Keep in mind that not all
opinions are equally convincing. Your personal opinions
can be excellent evidence, but they are usually less
convincing to your audience than an expert’s opinion.
Kinds of Evidence
• Deductive reasoning – proceeds from a general premise
or assumption to a specific conclusion.
• Inductive reasoning – proceeds from individual
observations to a more general conclusion and uses no
strict form.
Using Deductive and
Inductive Arguments
• Relevant – support thesis and be pertinent to your
argument
• Representative – should represent the full range of
opinions about your subject, not just one side
• Sufficient – should include enough facts, opinions, and
examples to support your claims
Criteria for Evidence
RECOGNIZING FALLACIES
Fallacies are illogical statements that may sound
reasonable or true but are actually deceptive and dishonest.
• Begging the Question
– assumes that a
statement is true when
it actually requires
proof.
“Unfair and
shortsighted legislation
that limits free trade is a
threat to the American
economy.”
• This statement begs the
question because it
assumes what it should
be proving – that
legislation that limits
free trade is unfair and
shortsighted.
Recognizing Fallacies
• Argument from Analogy – An
analogy is a form of comparison
that explains something unfamiliar
by comparing it to something
familiar.
“The overcrowded conditions in
some parts of our city have forced
people together like rats in a cage.
Like rats, they will eventually turn
on one another, fighting and
killing until a balance is restored.
It is there fore necessary that we
vote to appropriate funds to build
low-cost housing.”
• No evidence is offered to establish
that people behave like rats under
these or any other conditions. Just
because two things have some
characteristics in common, you
should not assume they are alike
in other respects.
Recognizing Fallacies
• Personal Attack – tries to
divert attention from the
facts by attacking the
motives or character of the
person making the
argument.
“The public should not take
seriously Dr. Mason’s plan
for improving county health
services. He is a former
alcoholic whose wife
recently divorced him.”
• This attack on Dr. Mason’s
character says nothing about
the quality of his plan.
Recognizing Fallacies
• Jumping to a
Conclusion – hasty or
sweeping generalization,
occurs when a conclusion
is reached on the basis of
too little evidence.
“Because our son
benefited from home
schooling, every child
should be educated this
way.”
• Perhaps other children
would benefit from home
schooling, and perhaps
not, but no conclusions
about children in general
can be reached on the
basis of just one child’s
experience.
Recognizing Fallacies
• False Dilemma
(Either/Or Fallacy) – a
writer suggests that only
two alternatives exist
even though there may be
others.
“We must choose
between life and death,
between interventions and
genocide. No one can be
neutral on this issue.”
• An argument like this
oversimplifies an issue
and forces people to
choose between extremes
instead of exploring more
moderate positions.
Recognizing Fallacies
• Equivocation – when the
meaning of a key term
changes at some point in
an argument.
“As a human endeavor,
computers are
praiseworthy and even
remarkable
accomplishment. But how
human can we hope to be
if we rely on computers
to make our decisions?”
• The use of human in the
first sentence refers to the
entire human race. In the
second sentence, human
means “merciful” or
“civilized.” By shifting
this term to refer to
qualities characteristic of
people as opposed to
machines, the writer
makes the argument seem
more sound than it is.
Recognizing Fallacies
• Red Herring – the focus of
an argument is shifted to
divert the audience from the
actual issue.
“The mayor has proposed
building a new sports
stadium. How can he even
consider allocating millions
of dollars to this scheme
when so many professional
athletes are being paid such
high salaries?”
• The focus of this argument
should be the merits of the
sports stadium. Instead, the
writer shifts to the irrelevant
issue of athletes'’ high
salaries.
Recognizing Fallacies
Writing Assignments for
Argumentation