TYPES OF ARGUMENTS CAS 100 A Zack Furness

TYPES OF ARGUMENTS CAS 100 A Zack Furness

Argument of Definition Defining a specific term by it membership in a specific category or genus. • Example: “Meat is murder” (i. e. , arguing that non-vegetarian diets are by definition murderous and so, morally wrong).

Argument of Comparison There are three main types of comparative arguments: similarity, difference, and degree. Similarity: Things that are alike should be treated alike • Example: “The student that allows another to copy is just as guilty as the one that copies. Both are forms of cheating” Difference: Things that are different should be treated differently • Example: “The qualities necessary for success on the football field are wholly unlike the qualities needed for effective political governance. My opponents football experience should not be considered a valuable asset in a political campaign. ” Degree: Things that need to be assessed as a matter of scale • Example: “My opponent’s plan would yield 50 new jobs, while my plan would produce 75. ” • Example: “What the majority would choose is better than what the minority would choose”

Arguments of Relationship For instance, an argument that deals with cause and effect. Example: “If we cut back on public spending we will see problems in our infrastructure. Because the problems we have now with our infrastructure are the result of previous cutbacks. ”

Arguments of Testimony An argument that relies on the words of others, such as an appeal to authority • Example: “We need to declare war based on what President Obama said in his State of the Union speech last night” Other kinds of testimony can take the form of laws, statistics, and precedents

Rhetoric of the Mugged (R. Weaver) Suppose you are confronted by a mugger with a pistol that demands that you give him all your money. You have to figure out what to say on the spot! • You might tell him that what he was doing constitutes a crime. This is • • an argument from definition. You could remind him that the act could land him in jail. This is an argument from consequence. You might point you that he would not like to be treated this way himself. This would be an argument from similarity. You might suggest that he’d make more by robbing a liquor store. This is an argument about degree. You would tell him that this sort of thing is forbidden by the Bible. This would be an argument from authority.