Argument Analysis Mastery

An argument is a discussion, either written or spoken, that takes a position about an issue and then presents reasons and evidence to convince an audience that its position is true.

The elements of an argument are the claim, reasons, evidence, and assumptions.

The purpose of analyzing an argument is to determine its effectiveness and validity by examining its claim, reasons, evidence, and assumptions.

An effective and valid argument must have an arguable and supportable claim, logical and clear reasons, convincing and relevant evidence, and logical and true assumptions.

It is important to critically examine each element of an argument to determine its effectiveness and validity, and to ensure that the claim, reasons, evidence, and assumptions are logical and true.

The elements of an argument that should be examined include its claim, reasons, evidence, and assumptions.

Examples may include a friend trying to convince you of their position on a current issue, a company trying to persuade you that their product is the best, or a book trying to persuade you of its view on a historical event.

An argument is a discussion, either written or spoken, that takes a position about an issue and then presents reasons and evidence to convince an audience that its position is true.

The first step in analyzing an argument is to recognize its elements.

The role of listeners and readers is to learn how to analyze arguments and make up their own minds about their effectiveness and validity.

The editor presents three main reasons to justify his claim: 1) increases in parking fees over the years, 2) how parking fees are supposed to be used by the college, and 3) statistics comparing the college's fees to those of other schools.

The editor might support his reasons with facts about increases in parking fees over the years, facts about how parking fees are supposed to be used by the college, statistics comparing the college's fees to those of other schools, stories of students who have had to sell books or borrow extra money just to pay parking fees, examples of other schools that have successfully lowered fees, and the testimony of an 'inside' witness who claims that the college has applied money from parking fees to improve the science building rather than repair the parking lots.

Assumptions are stated or unstated beliefs that must be held in order to accept the claim of the argument. The editor holds assumptions that parking fees can be eliminated, that someone in the college's administration has the power to make that decision, that students are financially-strapped, and that the conditions at other schools are similar to the conditions at his college. He expects his readers to hold these assumptions, too.

A listener or reader should look critically at each of the argument's elements and ask questions such as: Is the claim supported by reasons and evidence? Is the claim biased? Are the reasons logical and clear? Are they directly related to and truly support the claim? Is the evidence convincing, relevant, and accurate? Do assumptions behind the argument make logical sense and are they true?

Some potential weaknesses or flaws in the editor's argument include: a biased viewpoint if the claim is motivated by personal dissatisfaction, the shaky reason that the college is misusing the money from parking fees, the possibility of inaccurate or outdated facts or statistics, and the assumption that parking fees can be changed or eliminated if no one has the power to do so.