INFOSHEET

In philosophy, an argument consists of a set of statements called premises that serve as grounds for affirming
another statement called the conclusion. Philosophers typically distinguish arguments in natural languages (such as
English) into two fundamentally different types: deductive and inductive.

For example, consider the argument that because bats can fly (premise=true), and all flying creatures are birds
(premise=false), therefore bats are birds (conclusion=false). If we assume the premises are true, the conclusion follows
necessarily, and thus it is a valid

Three main parts of the arguement

An argument can be broken down into three basic parts: the conclusion, the premises, and the assumptions. THE
CONCLUSION The conclusion (or theses) is the point of the main idea of the argument--what the author is trying to
prove.

EXAMPLE OF A Valid Argument

In effect, an argument is valid if the truth of the premises logically guarantees the truth of the conclusion. The following
argument is valid, because it is impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion nevertheless to be
false: Elizabeth owns either a Honda or a Saturn. Elizabeth does not own a Honda.

For example, you could make an argument like: "I need a new coat because it's getting cold and mine is too big on
me." In this case, your warrant, or shared belief, is that when clothes no longer fit appropriately, they should be replaced.

What are the parts of an argument?

An argument consists of five major parts:

Claims

Your claim serves as the main point of your report or paper and should have the sole purpose of influencing how the
reader acts or thinks. Your audience should understand why the claim is necessary and develop their own opinion about
it, regardless of whether they agree with it. That's why it's vital that you appropriately communicate why the claim is
important by:

 Explaining the issue.

 Stating the claim concisely and clearly.

 Detailing how the claim addresses an issue or need.

Well-developed claims typically have a narrow focus. Additionally, they often utilize words like "often," "most" and
"many" instead of words like "always" or "all."
Reasons

Your reasons explain why you are making your claim and they can be experiential, ethical or logical. Though reasoning
itself is important, it should be founded on evidence.

Evidence

In order to convince readers to adopt your point of view, you have to provide evidence that supports your claim.
Evidence can come in the form of data or facts that enable you to interpret or analyze your reasons. It's important that
you supply evidence that is appropriate for your specific audience and has a higher likelihood of convincing them of the
validity of your claim. To accomplish this, you should familiarize yourself with your audience's general priorities and
values.Aside from choosing evidence that is compelling for your readers, you should also make sure that you are
gathering reliable information from trustworthy and authoritative sources. Make sure that you provide enough evidence
to convince your audience and appropriately cite your sources. Some additional strategies for finding and using evidence
that support your claims include:

 Explain the significance of the evidence, even if it seems obvious.

 Utilize visuals, such as graphs and diagrams, when relevant and appropriate.

 Make sure your supporting evidence is clear and relevant.

 Start with general evidence and then become more specific.

 Build on the existing knowledge of your audience.

Warrants

Warrants are the assumptions, shared beliefs and justifying principles that connect your evidence to your reasoning.
Though warrants are based on logic, whether spoken or unspoken, you still must provide sufficient evidence to connect
your claim with the warrant. For example, you could make an argument like: "I need a new coat because it's getting cold
and mine is too big on me." In this case, your warrant, or shared belief, is that when clothes no longer fit appropriately,
they should be replaced.Though this warrant is common sense for most people and is ample justification for your claim
that you need a new coat, you still have to supply evidence that your coat is actually ineffective to convince your
audience to support your claim. Supporting your warrant with evidence is important because even when an audience
shares your warrant, they could disagree with the evidence you present.Conversely, some might disagree with your claim
because they don't share your warrant. For instance, members of your audience could believe that your coat should be
altered to fit you better rather than replaced altogether.

Acknowledgment and response

An effective argument acknowledges opposing positions and responds to them. This can benefit your argument because
it:

 Allows you to find commonalities.

 Encourages you to qualify or moderate your claim.

 Provides additional context for your argument.

 Fosters a trusting relationship between you and your audience.

When introducing an opposing point of view, it's imperative that you do so fairly and objectively so as to avoid
misrepresentation. In addition to being an ethical strategy, this also helps you build trust with your readers. Once you
present the opposing viewpoint, acknowledge the parts of the argument that seem valid. This could cause you to
concede certain points, challenging you to find common ground and moderate your claim.You should also state and
respond to points that you feel are invalid. Support your counterpoints and refutations with
evidence.Related: Negotiation Skills: Definition and Examples

How to craft an effective argument

To write a well-developed argument, follow these simple steps:

1. Research the topic. Before you can develop an effective argument, you have to understand it completely. That's
why your first and most important step should be to gain a comprehensive understanding by researching all sides
of the issue or topic. As you research, make special note of how your previously held opinions are impacted by
this new knowledge.

2. Introduce your claim. Your paper or report must start with an introduction, which prepares your audience for
the rest of your argument. When crafting an introduction, you must establish a common ground for your readers
by giving them the information they might need to understand the topic and your claim.

3. Give your argument context. While developing your argument's introduction, make sure that you establish the
context by describing the issue, supplying opposing viewpoints and detailing your claim. By doing this in your
introduction, you ensure that every reader approaches your paper with equal knowledge of the topic. A great
way to provide an argument's context is by defining the topic and then introducing the issue that relates to the
topic's common definition.

4. Establish your credibility. When presenting an argument, you must emphasize that you're a credible source
because it increases the chances that your audience will be persuaded by your argument and adopt your point of
view. You can do this using several different methods, such as by sharing a personal experience, but perhaps one
of the most effective strategies is by citing relevant and authoritative sources that bolster your claim.
Additionally, this shows that you have conducted research and approached the issue thoughtfully.

5. Make it compelling. You can increase the chances of convincing your audience by crafting a compelling
argument. A great way to do this is by asking yourself why your audience should care about the topic or the
issue. This allows you to address the importance of your claim and tailor it to create a compelling argument. You
can then include an interesting quote or statistic, identify a general concern or supply an anecdote.

6. Connect your audience with the issue. You can attract your audience's interest by showing them how an issue
impacts or has impacted them. Some strategies for establishing this connection include making an emotional
appeal or presenting your claim as a new solution to a well-known issue.

7. Supply evidence. It's imperative that you spend a good portion of your argument presenting evidence that
supports your claim and/or refutes opposing positions. The evidence you supply should come from reputable
sources and appeal to your audience's emotions, ethics and logic.

8. Outline the opposing position. When you discuss the opposition in your argument, it allows you to refute other
claims, establishing that your argument is well-founded and credible.
 9. Craft a conclusion. Your argument's conclusion should justify your claim, summarize the key points of your
argument, provide a call to action and convince your audience that you have presented an indisputable case.

10. Cite your sources. It's vital that you provide the proper documentation for your sources because it can impact
you and your argument's credibility. Use the appropriate citation format for any quotes, opinions, paraphrases,
figures or facts that you mention in your report. These citations usually come in the form of bibliographies, end-
notes, in-text notes and footnotes.

Related: How To Write a Report for Work (With Examples)

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Example arguments

Here are some example excerpts from different parts of an argument that you can use to guide you as you craft your
own:

Example of a claim

This claim is effective because it has a narrow focus on an issue that can be adequately addressed in a paper or
report."Parents should be given guaranteed parental leave upon the birth or introduction of a new child."

Example of a reason

In order to be effective, the reason for your argument should make an appeal that is experiential, ethical or logical. This
reason clearly states the basis for the claim and hints at the fact that it is based on evidence."By giving them guaranteed
parental leave, parents have more time to acclimate to their new role, responsibilities and lifestyle, which can have a
positive impact on their professional performance."

Example of evidence

Your evidence should support your argument while also being compelling and credible. In this example, the source has
established authority in this area, making it a convincing bit of evidence."In 2016, the National Library of Medicine
published a study that found that companies that offered extended and paid parental leave experienced lower employee
turnover rates."