ARGUMENT

Argument is a form of persuasion that relies upon reason, logic, and evidence to convince others. While the purpose of an argument essay is to convince your readers to change their thinking about a particular issue or to take a particular action, a realistic goal would be to have readers carefully consider your point of view and to win their respect through the skill and logic of your argument.

STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPING ARGUMENTS

Debate

Debate is the act of presenting your argument and being challenged by someone who holds a different view. Debate can be a good starting point for developing your argument because it encourages you to state your ideas clearly and persuasively and to distinguish your views from those of others. Debate includes three essential activities for creating an argument essay:

• Formulating a claim – The claim is the statement in your essay that expresses your position or stand on a particular issue.
• Providing reasons to support your claim – Reasons explain or justify your claim and must be supported by evidence and examples.
• Anticipating opposition to your argument – You must be aware of the arguments of those with opposing views and be prepared to respond to them.

Debate will help you find a strong position and argue that position effectively; however, it is only a first step in the process of creating an argument. To create an effective argument, you must move from debate to dialogue in which you explore other viewpoints to learn the reasons behind them rather than simply attacking or opposing them.

Dialogue

Dialogue involves listening and sharing ideas with those who hold views different than your own. Participating in a dialogue is a way to discover what others think about a particular issue and to listen to their responses to your viewpoint. Unlike a traditional debate, the object of a dialogue is not to win or lose, but to investigate a number of different outlooks. You can engage in a dialogue in some of the following ways:

• Seek out and question others about their views on a particular issue. Listen to their responses and try to understand the reasons behind them.
• Read and research a broad range of positions and perspectives on an issue.
• Conduct surveys among individuals who represent diverse ages, educational backgrounds, occupations, socio-economic groups, etc.
• Use Internet newsgroups, listservs, and chat rooms to find out what others think about your subject.
• Visit Websites of organizations, political groups, government agencies, and other sources to become acquainted with different viewpoints.

Dialogue will help you to discover common concerns and shared beliefs as well as differences. While it may not always be possible to achieve a middle ground, your participation in a dialogue gives you the opportunity to carefully consider the viewpoints of others as you shape your own argument.

Deliberation

Deliberation is the process of considering and evaluating the perspectives of all sides of an issue and reaching an informed conclusion or position about it. Because you have participated in debate and dialogue, you will have a greater understanding of the conflicting and common concerns involved with the issue. Your deliberation may result in your agreement with one particular perspective, or it may result in an entirely different position. Use the following questions to help you deliberate:

• What reasons seem most persuasive? Why?
• What do the examples, statistics, or other forms of evidence indicate about your issue?
• Are there any shared values, concerns, or beliefs among the various viewpoints on the issue? Do you share them as well?
• On what points is there greatest disagreement? What is your position on those points?

Deliberation will help you to arrive at a working claim that you can support when you write your own argument essay.

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