You are on page 1of 15

THERE ARE VARIOUS TYPES OF ARGUMENTS

Instead of overwhelming you with a whole bunch of them, well just go through them as we come across them. Well eventually cover all of them. If youre feeling anxious about knowing all of them I can give you a list this week.

DONT FREAK OUT.


Today were covering: THE ROGERIAN APPROACH, ENTHYMEMES AND THE TOULMIN SCHEME

Youre probably already upset from annotating 9 pages of Letter from Birmingham Jail.
STOP FREAKING OUT. Youll feel better by the end of the day and even better by the end of the week.

BUT BEFORE WE GO ON
Heres a meme to make you feel better. When you see this It now becomes a race to yell

annotate all the things!


Who ever recognizes it first and successfully yells it out wins.

Prize TBD

THE ROGERIAN APPROACH TO ARGUMENT


The Rogerian approach tries to find mutually acceptable solutions to problems using the following techniques: Seeking common ground Building trust Reducing threat

ANTI-CONFRONTATION
The writer makes every effort to avoid confrontation. The writer does this by giving as much credit as possible to the opponents counter-arguments, rather than simply dismissing these counterarguments outright. If opponents believe that their arguments are being understood and taken seriously, they will be more open to listening to the writers position.

HOW DOES KING USE THE ROGERIAN APPROACH IN HIS LETTER?


My Dear Fellow Clergymen: While confined here in Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely."...Since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable in terms. I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against "outsiders coming in."...I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here. But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.

HOW DOES KING USE THE ROGERIAN APPROACH IN HIS LETTER?


My Dear Fellow Clergymen: While confined here in Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely."...Since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable in terms. I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against "outsiders coming in."...I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here. But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.
(About to get all AP on you) Additional Examples: King emphasizes that they all share a common profession and a common goal of ending segregation. King references biblical and historical figures and philosophers who would be familiar to the clergymen. Accepts some of the clergymens point: the demonstrations in Birmingham were unfortunate. Verbally draws himself closer to the audience by switching pronouns from I and you to we (expressing hope for

ROGERIAN APPROACH FOR THE WIN!


Builds trust: Dear Fellow Clergymen King credits the men with being men of genuine good will whose arguments are sincerely set forth King references biblical figures who would be familiar to the clergyman Additional Examples: King emphasizes that they all share a common profession and a common goal of ending segregation. King references biblical and historical figures and philosophers who would be familiar to the clergymen. Accepts some of the clergymens point: the demonstrations in Birmingham were unfortunate. Verbally draws himself closer to the audience by switching pronouns from I and you to we (expressing hope for unity)

ENTHYMEMES: BUT FIRST LETS PLAY 6 DEGREES OF WIKIPEDIA


Aristotle states that under
the logos, (or the content of the message)

Enthymeme example All teachers have college degrees. (major premise is assumed) Ms. Clark is a teacher. (minor premise is stated) Therefore, Ms. Clark has a college degree (conclusion stated)

2 most powerful tools are the


enthymeme and the example.

The enthymeme is a shortened syllogism that serves the purpose of a more practical and expedient way to argue.

Restructured as an Enthymeme:

ENTHY

Ms. Clark is a teacher because she has a college degree What is left out? Why?

Enthymeme example
All teachers have college degrees. (major premise is assumed) Ms. Clark is a teacher. (minor premise is stated) Therefore, Ms. Clark has a college degree (conclusion stated)

MEME

Lets get all AP on this: The major premise (aka: the universal principle) all teachers have college degrees is an assumption shared by everyone and everyone agrees with the statement. An argument may be vulnerable if the audience does not accept the unstated principle that supports the argument.

THE TOULMIN SCHEME


Formal logic is an abstract discipline that deals with absolutes. Everyday life, however, does not operate in the realm of absolutes-it is messier, more complicated. Events in life are often random, so people must make decisions based on probability rather than absolute certainty. To bridge the gap between the absolute and the practical, philosopher Stephen Toulmin developed a model of informal logic commonly known as the Toulmin Scheme or Method

HOW IT WORKS
1. Claim 2. Reasons 3. Warrant

4. Grounds
5. Backing 6. Conditions of Rebuttal 7. Qualifier An enthymeme provides the claim, the reasons, and the warrant.

LETS BREAK IT DOWN WITH WORDS


Example: King should not be leading local protests because he is an outsider. To decide whether the claim in this enthymeme is sound, you need to examine the reasons and the underlying assumptions and decide whether the audience will accept and grant them. Claim: A statement of a position or a stand (thesis statement) An arguable statement King should not be leading local protests

HOW IT WORKS
Claim (arguable statement) Reasons (supports claim) Warrant (The unstated assumption that makes the enthymeme work. The audience must accept the warrant in order to find an argument persuasive)

Grounds (Claims, reasons, and warrants represent an argument in broad outline, stated in phrases or sentences. The grounds provide the actual evidence in support of the reasons. Includes facts, citations from authorities, examples and statistics)
Backing (Supports the warrant: If the person making the argument is unclear about the warrant or unfamiliar with the values and the beliefs of the audience, then the writer must provide backing to support the warrant. Conditions of Rebuttal (Brings up and addresses counter-arguments. Attacks the reasons and grounds and/or the warrant and backing Qualifier (Limits a claim. Must have a qualifier because any argument dealing in absolutes (always, never, etc.) can be faulty)

HOW IT WORKS
1. Claim King should not be leading local protests
2. Reasons because he is an outsider 3. Warrant Outsiders should not be leading local protests 4. Grounds We are now confronted by a series of demonstrations by some of our Negro

citizens, directed and led in part by outsiders


5. Backing Outsiders should not be leading local protests is asserted by stating that resolving these local problems requires people with knowledge and experience of the local situation. 6. Conditions of Rebuttal King refutes both the local clergymans reasons (that he is an outsider) and their grounds (that local leaders are already handling the situation in a peaceful and lawful manner)Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere He rebuts the clergymans warrant (outsiders should not be leading local protests) and their backing (outsiders lack sufficient knowledge of local issues)

7. Qualifier Clergyman should not have used absolutes in their claim too easy for King to
shoot down

You might also like