Argument Guide
for
Your Final
Essay or Presentation
An argument is a
collected series of
statements to establish a
definite proposition.
in other words ...
evidence-based defense
of a non-obvious position
more context
The Burkean Parlor
Context
for “Good” Argument
Imagine you enter a parlor. You come late. When
you arrive, others have long preceded you, and
they are engaged in a heated discussion, a
discussion too heated for them to pause and tell
you exactly what it is about. In fact, the
discussion had already begun long before any of
them got there, so that no one present is
qualified to retrace for you all the steps that had
gone before. You listen for a while, until you
decide that you have caught the tenor of the
argument; then you put in your oar.
Someone answers; you answer him; another
comes to your defense; another aligns himself
against you, to either the embarrassment or
gratification of your opponent, depending upon
the quality of your ally's assistance. However, the
discussion is interminable. The hour grows late,
you must depart. And you do depart, with the
discussion still vigorously in progress.
evidence-based defense
of a non-obvious position
Great learning opportunity
“the soul of education”
Argument forces a writer to evaluate the
strengths and weaknesses of multiple
perspectives. When teachers ask
students to consider two or more
perspectives on a topic or issue,
something far beyond surface
knowledge is required: students must
think critically and deeply, assess the
validity of their own thinking, and
anticipate counterclaims in opposition to
their own assertions.
“If your position on a topic is so
strong that you cannot imagine
that a rational person would
disagree with you, then you
should probably pick a different
topic.
If the evidence is overwhelmingly
on your side, the law is on your
side, public opinion is on your
side, and morality and ethics and
common sense are all on your
side, then you might want to
rethink your topic.”
evidence-based defense
of a non-obvious position
the end.
1. Granting of athletic scholarships.
2. Care of automobile tires.
3. Censoring the Web sites of hate groups.
4. History of the town park.
5. Housing for the homeless.
6. Billboards in urban residential areas or in
rural areas.
7. Animal testing for cosmetic research.
8. Cats versus dogs as pets.
9. Ten steps in recycling wastepaper.
10. Benefits of being a parent.
“argument forces a
writer to evaluate the
strengths and
weaknesses of multiple
perspectives.”