Download The Craft of Argument – Key points for chapters one and two

The Craft of Argument – Key points for chapters one and two
Good argument entails cooperation rather than combat. It is based on understanding alternative
perspectives, and it is based on respect.
Ethos is your character. It is your reputation as a thinker. Consider what sort of reputation you
wish to build.
Pragmatic arguments are constructed for the purpose of doing something. These arguments
mean to compel action. The words should and would in an argument usually signal that a
pragmatic argument will follow.
Conceptual arguments are about understanding a problem better. These arguments entail
research and aim to broaden the view.
“Some critics claim that what finally counts in the political world is not logic and evidence, but
power and influence, so rational arguments are exercises in futility” (7).
3 forms of persuasion that aren’t arguments
Negotiation – any reason can be offered in order to reach a desired outcome
Propaganda – reasons don’t have to be good, and they often exploit emotions
Coercion – solves problems by threat or by bribe
Stories as argument
Stories can often be effective vehicles for proving one’s point. They often compel more
deeply felt emotions/ reactions than do arguments.
A story often pretends to describe truth, in all its detail. Arguments are more abstract.
They must offer reasons and claims.
A good story will often compel less immediate disagreement with the teller. The listener
is usually more concerned with finding out what happens next, rather than with disagreeing.
When we tell a story, questions of it tend to seem like questions into our own
truthfulness. When we write a thoughtful argument, we expect readers to question our reasons,
our evidence, our logic, even the need for an argument, and we do not take offense at their
doubts.
A story can indeed make particular claims and provide reasons, and it can be analyzed for
these, even though stories and arguments differ in format. In this class, we will be analyzing the
stories that people tell in order to decipher the claims that various authors and characters are
making. We will look into what makes these stories so visceral, and we will begin to investigate
the “truth” of the claims that authors and characters are making.
Logos, Pathos and Ethos
Logos – appeal to logic
Pathos – appeal to emotion
Ethos – projecting our character as a writer in order to appeal to our audience
Skimming techniques given on p. 13
Imagining your audience
Envision your readers “as amiable but feisty friends sitting across the kitchen table, interrupting
you with hard questions, objections, and their own views” (15). “[I]magine someone who is
smart, amiable, and open-minded, but inclined to disagree with you; write to that person” (16).
The writing process
Thinking-Reading-Talking
Get an overview of the problem
Preparing and Planning
Decide whether you are making a pragmatic or conceptual argument
Determine who your audience is
Outline
Drafting
Revising
“[E]ven a written argument is a collaborative dialogue with other voices, real ones when
possible, but often a voice that you must imagine on your readers’ behalf” (22).
5 kinds of questions in building an argument
1. What’s your point? What are you saying, in a nutshell? In short, what are you claiming that I
should do or believe?
2. Why should I agree? What reasons can you offer to support your claim?
3. On what facts do you base those reasons? How do we know they are good reasons? What
evidence do you have to back them up?
4. What’s your logic? What underlying principle do you assume that holds your argument
together?
5. But have you considered…? But what would you say to someone who argued that….? Do
you acknowledge this alternative to your position, and how would you respond?
Planning an Argument:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Sketch the problem or question and a plausible solution or answer.
Write the main reasons that would encourage readers to agree.
Sketch the evidence or additional reasons that support each main reason.
Sketch out relevant objections and alternative that readers might raise; respond.
Sketch a conclusion.
*What is the best or worst of the myths of New Orleans? Why?
*Should we work to get rid of our urban myths? Why or why not?
*What do myths of cities obscure?
*What kind of character is the city of New Orleans?