ARGUING A POSITION

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ARGUING A POSITION

• MULTIPLE PURPOSES
• 1. TAKING A POSITION.
• 2. PRESENTING A REASONED ARGUMENT EXPLAINING
  JUSTIFYING ONES POSITION.
• 3. INFLUENCING OTHERS THINKING.

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ARGUING A POSITION (cont.)

• ARGUMENT IMPLIES FIGHTING, EXPRESSING ANGER.
• REASONED ARGUMENT INVOLVES SUPPORTING ONES
  POSITION WITH REASONS.

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ARGUING A POSITION (cont.)

• PUBLIC DEBATE IS ESSENTIAL TO DEMOCRACY.
• ARGUMENTATION SKILLS ARE ALSO IMPORTANT IN
  WORKPLACE DECI-SION MAKING.

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ARGUING A POSITION (cont.)

• CONTROVERSIAL (I.E., DEBATABLE) ISSUESNO
  OBVIOUS, UNIVERSAL RIGHT OR WRONG.

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CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES (cont.)

• MERE INFORMATION WILL NOT RESOLVE THE DEBATE,
  THOUGH AN INFORMED POSITION IS USUALLY MORE
  CONVINCING.

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CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES (cont.)

• ABSOLUTE PROOF CAN NOT BE OFFERED BECAUSE
  POSITIONS ON ISSUES INVOLVE OPINION JUDG-MENT.

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ARGUING A POSITION (cont.)

• BASIS OF REASONED ARGUMENT
• COMPELLING REASONS
• SOUND SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
• POINTING OUT FLAWS IN OTHERS REASONING

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REASONED ARGUMENT (cont.)

• SHARED INTERESTS, VALUES, PRINCIPLES (COMMON
  GROUND)
• COMPROMISE (MODERATING ONES VIEWS, URGING OTHERS
  TO DO THE SAME)

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IMPORTANCE OF AUDIENCE

• NEED TO DETERMINE AUDIENCES POSITION (ARE THEY
  OPPOSED? UNDECIDED? MORE OR LESS IN AGREEMENT?) .
  . .

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AUDIENCE (cont.)

• . . . AS WELL AS THEIR WAY OF THINKING ABOUT THE
  ISSUE (E.G., AS A MORAL ISSUE, PERSONAL ISSUE,
  POLITICAL ISSUE, ETC.).

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AUDIENCE (cont.)

• WITH A STRONGLY OPPOSED AUDI-ENCE, THE BEST ONE
  CAN HOPE FOR IS TO INCREASE READERS
  UNDER-STANDING OF OR GAIN RESPECT FOR ONES
  POSITION.
• MAY HAVE TO SETTLE FOR CLARIFYNG DIFFERENCES
  BETWEEN POSITIONS.

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BASIC FEATURES OF POSITION/ ARGUMENT ESSAYS

• WELL-DEFINED ISSUE
• SUBJECT IS A MATTER OF DEBATE, CONTROVERSY.

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WELL-DEFINED ISSUE (cont.)

• MUST EXPLAIN WHAT THE ISSUE IS, DEFINE WHAT KIND
  OF ISSUE IT IS, AND ESTABLISH THE BOUNDARIES OF
  THE ISSUE.
• SOME ISSUES NEED EXTENSIVE DEFINITION FOR SOME
  AUDIENCES.

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POSITION PAPER FEATURES (cont.)

• A CLEAR POSITION
• OFTEN EXPRESSED IN A THESIS STATE-MENT NEAR
  BEGINNING OF ESSAY (BUT SOMETIMES APPROPRIATE TO
  POST-PONE).

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CLEAR POSITION (cont.)

• THESISTHE POINT OF VIEW THE WRITER WANTS READERS
  TO ADOPT.

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CLEAR POSITION (cont.)

• B/C FACTS ARE UNARGUABLE, THEY ARE USED TO
  SUPPORT A THESIS, BUT CAN NOT BE THE THESIS
  ITSELF.

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CLEAR POSITION (cont.)

• EXPRESSIONS OF PERSONAL FEEL-INGS ARE NOT
  ARGUABLE. THEY CAN BE EXPLAINED, BUT ARE NOT
  CON-VINCING REASONS FOR OTHERS TO CHANGE THEIR
  VIEWS.

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CLEAR POSITION (cont.)

• CLEAR EXACT WORDING
• NEED TO AVOID VAGUENESS (MEANING IS UNCLEAR)
  AMBIGUITY (COULD HAVE MORE THAN ONE POSSIBLE
  MEANING).

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CLEAR POSITION (cont.)

• WRITERS POSITION MUST SOMETIMES BE QUALIFIED
  TO ACCOMMODATE OPPOSING ARGUMENTS TO SHOW
  UNDERSTANDING OF AN ISSUES COM-PLEXITY (WHILE AT
  THE SAME TIME AVOIDING VAGUENESS INDECISION).

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CLEAR POSITION (cont.)

• QUALIFYING ONES ARGUMENT IN-VOLVES USING WORDS
  LIKE PROBABLY, APPARENTLY, LIKELY, AND SO FORTH
  AVOIDING WORDS LIKE OBVIOUSLY, ALWAYS, NEVER, ETC.

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POSITION PAPER FEATURES (cont.)

• A CONVINCING, WELL-REASONED ARGUMENT
• MUST PRESENT REASONS FOR ONES POSITION ON THE
  ISSUE THEY ARE THE MAIN POINTS THAT ANSWER THE
  QUESTION WHY DO YOU THINK THAT?

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CONVINCING ARGUMENT (cont.)

• REASONS MUST BE DIRECTLY STAT-ED EXPLAINED IN
  DETAIL. USUAL-LY SEVERAL REASONS ARE OFFERED.

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CONVINCING ARGUMENT (cont.)

• MUST PROVIDE EVIDENCE TO SUP-PORT ONES REASONS
  I.E., FACTS, STATISTICS, EXAMPLES, SCENARIOS,
  ANECDOTES, TESTIMONY, TEXTUAL EVIDENCE, ETC.

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CONVINCING ARGUMENT (cont.)

• ANTICIPATING OPPOSING ARGU-MENTS
• WRITER MUST (1) ACKNOWLEDGE OPPOSING ARGUMENTS,
  AND THEN (2) GENERALLY EITHER REFUTE OR
  ACCOMMODATE THEM.

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COUNTERARGUING (cont.)

• ACKNOWLEDGING
• SHOWING AN AWARENESS OF READERS OBJECTIONS
  QUESTIONS.
• SHOWS THAT YOU TAKE OTHERS POINT OF VIEW
  SERIOUSLY EVEN IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH IT.

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ACKNOWLEDGING (cont.)

• SHOWS THAT THE WRITER HAS EX-PLORED THE ISSUE
  THOROUGHLY, IS THOUGHTFUL REASONABLE, AND
  CONCERNED W/ SEEKING THE TRUTH.

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COUNTERARGUING (cont.)

• ACCOMMODATING
• ACCEPTING READERS LEGITIMATE CON-CERNS AND
  INCORPORATING THEM INTO YOUR OWN ARGUMENT.

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COUNTERARGUING (cont.)

• REFUTING
• SHOWING WHY READERS OBJECTIONS ARE NOT VALID OR
  THEIR CONCERNS IRRELEVANT AND ARGUING AGAINST
  THEM IN A REASONABLE, CONSTRUC-TIVE WAY.

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COUNTERARGUING (cont.)

• USEFULNESS OF COUNTERARGUING
• ENHANCES ONES CREDIBILITY.
• STRENGTHENS ONES ARGUMENT.
• REASSURES READERS THAT THEY SHARE IMPORTANT
  VALUES ATTITUDES WITH THE WRITER (I.E., HELPS
  ESTABLISH COMMON GROUND).

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POSITION PAPER FEATURES (cont.)

• APPROPRIATE TONE
• EXPRESSES WRITERS FEELINGS W/OUT CLOSING OFF
  COMMUNICATION.
• HELPS GAIN READERS CONFIDENCE RESPECT.