SMARTHINKING Writer's Handbook

Chapter 1, Lesson 6

Writing to Argue a Position

Objective

In this lesson, you'll learn how to develop an argument designed to convince readers that your position is logical and reasonable.

Introduction

You'll write many arguments in your college career. Understanding how to create an academic argument is one key to success in college writing assignments. Most of those arguments will be written as research papers in your major discipline; they're called research papers simply because you must investigate issues to form educated opinions. Other names for these kinds of arguments are academic or intellectual arguments.

Writing these arguments requires you to take a position and defend it. You do not have to convince your audience that you are "correct"; it is impossible to convince all of your readers that your position is the only or the right one. Instead, your primary purpose is to convince your audience that your position is valid, logical, and/or worth considering.

Elements of the Intellectual Argument

• Audience and purpose
• Thesis (assertion)
• Good reasons and logical evidence
• Counter-arguments
• Introduction and conclusion
• Documentation

Audience and Purpose

Before you write an intellectual argument, consider your audience and purpose. If your audience is your professor, there is a good chance that s/he knows more about the subject than you do. In that case, the purpose of the argument becomes a test of your ability to form a reasonable thesis and to support and defend it logically and thoroughly. However, even if your professor knows something about your issue, when you conduct a good investigation, you become the subject-area expert and there's a very good chance that your argument will present new materials and ways of thinking about your subject.

If your audience is broader than your professor alone (possibly including your classmates, peers, or the readers of a newspaper editorial or Internet website), you'll be arguing your position to people who probably know less than you about the issue. Then, you really have the opportunity to influence someone's way of thinking about your issue—the stakes are higher and the writing becomes more exciting.

Thesis (Assertion)

• Many times, your professor will assign the paper and maybe even the specific subject. However, most likely it'll be up to you to choose the angle that you want to research on the topic and the position that you choose to take. If the choice of topic is up to you, find a topic that interests you. Perhaps your professor lectured about something fascinating or maybe there was an interesting question in a textbook. No matter what subject you pick, be sure that it's a topic in which you are genuinely interested and about which you're willing to learn more. People who are engaged in their research write more interesting and original papers.
  
  
• Choose a topic that'll allow you to take a side. Academic arguments seek to address questions that people are concerned about. Research papers that argue a position do so with subjects for which there are no certain answers. In fact, these arguments are built on controversial topics where more than one view, or position, is possible. Your position is a stance that amounts to an attitude or judgment about some issue.

  So, you need to avoid topics that are simply a matter of opinion or that just need an explanation. Instead, focus on topics where reasoned and logical argument can support an informed view. For example, it would be hard to build an argument around the thesis "Roses are the most beautiful flowers"; in this sentence, you're simply stating an opinion, or preference—you can't argue about that. The sentence "It takes many years to cultivate a beautiful garden" also won't work; this thesis calls for an explanation of "why." [see "Exposition: Explaining Why"]

• Write an assertion that reveals your position. An academic argument that argues for a position requires a special kind of thesis, often called an assertion. An assertion is a statement that often (but not always) includes a modal verb such as "should" or "ought" and asks the writer to make a judgment of fact or of value. Examples of assertions that argue for positions are:
  
  
  1. Capital punishment should be abolished because human juries can make mistakes in their decisions.
  2. People who download and "share" music on the Internet are stealing from performing artists.
  3. When children kill other children, as in recent slayings in American public schools, they should be tried as adults.

Notice that each of the above assertions takes a clearly defined position on a controversial issue. The writer's intention can't be mistaken and readers know that a strong argument must follow.

Academic arguments can be written about your college subjects, as well:

1. Biology or Botany: The health benefits of radiation for food far outweigh the risks.
2. Psychology: Even though it seems barbaric, electroshock therapy should be used in the fight against emotional illness.
3. Political Science: America should use its power to stop genocide anywhere in the world.
   
   

• Be certain that your position is arguable. Your assertion should be consistent with available evidence. You can't build an intellectual argument on opinion alone. Therefore, you must do research to find support for the argument, or claim, that you're making. Then, ask yourself, "Is this a claim that I realistically can ask people to accept?" Likewise, the assertion should present a claim that reasonably can be argued within the space (page) and time (due date) limitations of your assignment. Sometimes, student writers go out on a limb with statements that can't be supported in a relatively short essay (6 - 12 pages).

Exercise

In the textbox below, write two possible assertions about an issue that you are researching. Compare them against the assertions presented above. Answer the following questions: Does each assertion address something that is controversial? Does each assertion clearly state a position with which others can disagree? In other words, is each assertion arguable or does it represent a thesis that simply needs a "why" or "how" explanation (exposition)?

Good reasons and logical evidence

• Know what kinds of evidence will be convincing to your audience. Academic arguments appeal primarily to the intellect—to logic. So, you need reasons for your position and each reason must be supported by evidence that defines, defends, and/or justifies it. Be sure to define special terms for your audience.

  Let's use the following assertion as an example: "When children kill other children, as in recent slayings in American public schools, they should be tried as adults." What reasons can we provide for this assertion? Notice that the claim is qualified by "as in recent slayings in American public schools," which means that we're not talking about a child who finds her father's handgun and accidentally shoots her best friend. This assertion focuses on purposeful killings, or murder.

  Reasons:

  1. When children make a decision to kill classmates, they are using free will, as adults do.
  2. Children who kill their classmates have destroyed the lives of other children and have lost the right to childhood themselves.
  3. Children who have killed their classmates should not be in a position to kill again, as they might be if tried as a juvenile and released from custody at age eighteen.
     
     

  These reasons can be supported by certain kinds of logical, non-emotional evidence that people are likely to find convincing. These kinds of evidence are:

  1. Facts
  2. Examples
  3. Statistics, percentages, or other numbers
  4. Expert testimony from authorities
  5. Narrative stories (anecdotes) from people with experience in the issue

Exercise

Look at the following reason for asserting that children should be tried as adults when they murder other children: "When children make a decision to kill classmates, they are using free will, as adults do." In the textbox below, list some evidence that might support this reason. Where would you find such evidence? When you're done, click the Compare button to view a sample response.

Remember: to convince your audience that your position is logical, you need to provide good evidence for each of your reasons.

Counter-arguments

Academic arguments that assert and defend a position need to take into account what people who disagree would say about the argument. The disagreements are called "counter-arguments" and your job as a writer is to find the best counter-arguments to your position and address them. Ask yourself: What bias or opinions will your audience have against your assertion or claim?

Usually, writers address counter-arguments after presenting their own reasons. By addressing the opposing point of view, you'll earn your audience's respect and strengthen your logical position.

Two possible counter-arguments to the above assertion are:

1. Children who kill, even if the killing appears to be premeditated murder, are not mature enough to have made an adult decision.
2. There is no way to predict whether such children will kill again, so it is better to give them a second chance.

Can you think of any other counter-arguments that this argument should address?

Introduction/ Conclusion

Good arguments will present an interesting introduction that tells the reader:

1. What the issue is,
2. Why it is controversial (background),
3. Why it is important (background), and
4. What your position (assertion) is.

The introduction sets up your argument and reveals your assertion. However, you might find it easier to write an interesting introduction AFTER you've written your first or second draft of the paper. By then, you'll be much more certain of exactly what you want to argue and why.

Good arguments also present the reader/s with an interesting conclusion. The conclusion pulls together the entire argument, summarizing and stressing the main points. More than that, in an academic argument, the conclusion offers you a chance to suggest further consideration of the problem or research that people should do. Sometimes, the conclusion is a good place to ask questions for which you have no answers--this strategy leaves the reader thinking. Ask your professor whether it's okay to ask thought-provoking questions at the end of your paper.

Documentation

Finally, in an argument that is intended for your college classes, you'll probably be asked to document your sources. Ask your professor which method s/he prefers for documentation and then follow the format precisely.

Summary

You'll write academic or intellectual essays in most of your college courses. A good essay that argues a position will (1) address a specific audience and purpose, (2) have an arguable assertion, (3) support the assertion with good reasons and logical evidence, (4) address counter-arguments, and (5) will provide thought-provoking and informative introduction and conclusion.