Transcript Elements of Argumentation

Elements of Argumentation
Purpose
• Reasons for the writing
• What the readers have to gain by reading
the essay
Possible Purposes
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Support a cause
Promote a change
Refute a theory
Stimulate interest
Win agreement
Arouse sympathy
Provoke anger
Audience
• Targeted readers
• Consider the kind of information,
language, and overall approach that will
appeal to a specific audience.
Appeals
• Logical appeals (logos)
• Emotional appeals (pathos)
• Ethical appeal (ethos)
Fallacies
• Errors in reasoning that render an
argument invalid
Ad hominem
• “to the individual”
• Attacks person’s characteristics instead of
attacking the argument
Nick Jacobson is not a worthy candidate for
vice president of the senior class because
he is short and frowns too much.
Ad populum
• “to the crowd”
• A misconception that a widespread
occurrence of something is assumed to
make an idea true or right
The parents of Sylvia’s friends allow their
daughters to stay out until 2:00 a.m. on a
school night, so Sylvia’s parents should
allow her to stay out until 2:00, as well.
Begging the question
• Taking for granted something that really
needs proving
Free all political prisoners.
Begs the question of whether some of those
concerned have committed an actual
crime like blowing up the chemistry
building in a political protest
Circular reasoning
• Trying to prove one idea with another idea
that is too similar to the first idea
A writer is a person who writes.
Either / or
• See an issue as having only two sides
The possession of firearms should be
completely banned or completely legal.
Hasty generalization
• Premature conclusion on the basis of only
one or two cases
Dallas Police Chief Christopher Michaels
suggested that all dogs be muzzled
because two Golden Retrievers have been
disturbing the peace in Fritz Park.
Non sequitur
• “it does not follow”
• Conclusion that does not follow
established premises
He is certainly sincere; he must be right.
pedantry
• Arbitrary adherence to rules and forms
Mary prides herself in knowing so much
about grammar, but she never earns high
grades on essays because she cannot
think of – let alone organize – insightful
ideas.
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc
• “after this, therefore because of this”
• Assuming that an incident that precedes
another is the cause of the second
incident
Antonietta worked on her written argument
longer than she had for any other essay;
therefore, she felt she must earn an “A”.
propaganda
• Persuade through emotional appeal rather
than through logical proof
• Using highly connotative words or images
without justification
Roger’s infatuation with the model’s ruby red
lips, beautiful teeth, sparkling eyes, and
streaming hair made him believe that
Optident is the best toothpaste.
Modes of Discourse
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Description
Narration
Exposition
Argumentation
Description
• Depicts images verbally in space and time
and arranges those images in a logical
pattern
narration
• Tells a story or relates an event
Exposition
• Comparison-a subject may be shown more
clearly by pointing out ways it is similar to
something else
• Contrast-a subject may be shown more clearly
by pointing out ways in which it is unlike another
subject
• Cause and effect-arguing from the presence or
absence of the cause to the existence or
nonexistence of the effect or result
Exposition cont.
• Classification-identifies the subject as a
part of a larger group with shared features
• Division-breaking the subject into smaller
segments
• Definition-places a subject into an
appropriate group and then differentiates
the subject from the other sections of the
group
Argumentation / Persuasion
• Induction-moving from observations about
particular things to generalizations
• Deduction-moving from generalizations to
valid inferences about particulars
SMELL
• S sender-receiver relationship
• M message
• E emotional strategies
• L logical strategies
• L language
Sender-receiver relationship
• What is the sender-receiver relationship?
• Who are the images and language meant
to attract?
• Describe the speaker of the text.
Message
• What is the message?
• Summarize the statements made in the
text. (This should be as brief as possible.)
Emotional Strategies
• What is the desired effect?
Logical Strategies
• What logic is operating?
• How does it (or its absence) affect the
message?
• Consider the logic of the images as well as
the words.
Language
• What does the language of the text
describe?
• How does it affect the meaning and
effectiveness of the writing?
• Consider the language of the images as
well as the words.