Upgrade to remove ads
Only $35.99/year

Argument terms

Terms in this set (57)

Rhetoric
the art of finding ways to persuade an audience
Pathos
appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response
ethos
The appeal of a text to the credibility and trustworthiness of the speaker, writer, or narrator
Automatic ethos
The credibility and trustworthiness of the speaker due to their fame/reputation/title/credentials.
Logos
Appeal to logic or reason by offering clear, rational ideas and using specific details, examples, facts, statistics, or expert testimony to back them up.
Conceding and Refuting (Counterargument)
In acknowledging a counterargument, you agree (concede) that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable, but then you deny (refute) the validity of all or part of the argument.
Argument
A process of reasoned inquiry; a persuasive discourse resulting in a coherent and considered movement from a claim to a conclusion.
Rogerian Argument
Developed by psychiatrist Carl Rogers, Rogerian arguments are based on the assumption that fully understanding an opposing position is essential to responding to it persuasively and refuting it in a way that is accommodating rather than alienating.
claim (assertion/proposition)
states the argument's main idea or position. Differs from a topic or subject in that it has to be arguable
claims of fact
A claim that asserts that something is true or not true.
claims of value
Claims that argue that something is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable
claims of policy
proposes a change
relevant evidence
evidence that specifically applies to the argument being made
accurate evidence
taking care to quote sources correctly without misrepresenting what the sources are saying or taking the information out of context.
Sufficient Evidence
Sufficient amount (enough) of evidence to support your thesis.
Red Herring
a type of logical fallacy wherein the speaker relies on distraction to derail an argument. usually by skipping to a new or irrelevant topic.
ad hominem fallacy
refers to the specific diversionary tactic of switching the argument from the issue at hand to the character of the other speaker
faulty analogy
a fallacy that occurs when an analogy compares two things that are not comparable
straw man fallacy
A fallacy that occurs when a speaker chooses a deliberately poor or oversimplified example in order to ridicule and refute an idea.
either/or fallacy
the speaker presents two extreme options as the only possible choices
False Dilemma
the speaker presents two extreme options as the only possible choices
equivocation
A fallacy that uses a term with two or more meanings in an attempt to misrepresent or deceive
Hasty Generalization
A fallacy in which a faulty conclusion is reached because of inadequate evidence.
circular reasoning
A fallacy in which the argument repeats the claim as a way to provide evidence. (You can't give me a C; I'm a student!)
first-hand evidence
Evidence based on something the writer knows, whether it's from personal experience, observations, or general knowledge of events.
personal experience
involves gaining knowledge by being personally involved in an event, situation, or circumstance
anecdotes
a brief story used to illustrate a point or claim
current events
staying abreast of what is happening locally, nationally, and globally; situations happening right now around the world
second hand experience
evidence that is accessed through research, reading, and investigation. It includes factual and historical information, expert opinion, and quantitative data.
Historical Information
verifiable facts that a writer knows from research
expert opinion
an opinion from someone who has published research on a topic or whose job or experience gives them specialized knowledge
quantitative evidence
includes things that can be measured, cited, counted, or otherwise represented in numbers— for instance, statistics, surveys, polls, census information.
classical oration
five-part argument structure used by classical rhetoricians
Induction
A logical process wherein you reason from particulars to universals, using specific cases in order to draw a conclusion, which is also called a generalization.
deduction
a logical process wherein you reach a conclusion by starting with a general principle or universal truth (a major premise) and applying it to a specific case (a minor premise)
Syllogism
a logical structure that uses the major premise and minor premise to reach a necessary conclusion (part of deduction)
Toulmin Model
An approach to analyzing and constructing arguments created by British philosopher Stephen Toulmin.
warrant (assumption)
an assumption linking the claim to the evidence
assumption
(Warrant) A belief or statement taken for granted without proof
backing
consists of further assurances or data without which the assumption lacks authority
qualifier
a reminder that the claim is more arguable than the absolute (for example, usually, probably, maybe, in most cases, most likely)
reservation
explanation of the terms and conditions necessitated by the qualifier
Rebuttal
gives voice to possible objections
Arguments to Convince and Inform
arguments to convince lead audiences to accept a claim as true or reasonable based on information or evidence that seems factual and reliable
Arguments to Persuade
seek to move people beyond conviction to action
Arguments to Make Decisions
to examine the options in important matters, both civil and personal
Arguments to Understand and Explore
examine important issues in more open-ended ways and call for arguments that genuinely explore possibilities without constraints or prejudices.
Kairos
term used to describe the most suitable time and place for making an argument and the most opportune ways of expressing it
Forensic Argument
an argument that deals with actions that have occurred in the past; common arguments used in government courts, businesses, and academia. people want to know who did what in the past, for what reasons, and with what liability.
Deliberative Argument
about what will or should happen in the future. these often influence polices or legislation for the future.
Epideictic/Ceremonial Arguments
arguments about present, explore the current values of a society, affirming or challenging its widely shared beliefs and core assumptions
Stasis Theory
A method for coming up with appropriate arguments by determining the nature of a given situation
Stasis Questions
Did something happen?
What is the nature of the thing?
What is the quality or cause of the thing?
What actions should be taken?
Argument of Fact
Did something happen?
Argument of Definition
What is its nature?
Argument of Evaluation
What is its quality or cause?
proposal argument
What actions should be taken?
Sets with similar terms