ilrlr 3300 argumentation & debate prelim #1

acceptance

one possible response to an argument; the agreement to accept the argument and find it persuasive; or at least lacking in any major flaw

accessibility

as a test of evidence, the availability of evidence for examination

adequacy

a test of evidence, whether it is sufficient to support its claim

ad hominem fallacy

an intentional effort to attack a person rather than an argument, by damaging an opponent's character or reputation or by engaging in name-calling and labeling

ad populum fallacy

appealing to the audience and its sentiments rather than to the merits of the argument

advocacy

the activity of promoting or opposing an idea in public settings

affirmative case

in a policy debate, a series of arguments challenging the status quo

a fortiori argument

a literal analogy that asserts that what is true of its evidence case is even more likely or even less likely to be true of its conclusion case

ambiguity

more than one meaning of a word or phrase in a single context

analogy

for the sake of supporting a claim, a comparison of something with which we are familiar to something with which we are less familiar.

antecedent

the "if" clause in a conditional statement; "that which comes before"

appeal

a persuasive strategy directed to the audience's emotions, sense of humor, or deeply held loyalties and commitments

appeal to authority

an appeal that urges compliance with the directive of a person, group, or document possessing power

arguing comparative advantages

a response to a pragmatic argument or policy proposal; arguing that an alternative course of action carries greater practical advantages than the proposed plan does

arguing from correlation alone

a fallacy; attributing cause simply on the basis of events occurring or varying simultaneously

arguing from ignorance

a fallacy; falsely assuming that a conclusion can be reached on the basis of the absence of evidence. One form of this argument assumes that because something has not been disproved, it has therefore been proved

arguing from succession alone

a fallacy; attributing cause simply on the basis of one event preceding another. also called "arguing post hoc", an abbreviation of the latin phrase, "post hoc ergo propter hoc", which means, "after this therefore because of this"

argument

a claim advanced with a reason or reasons in its support

argumentation

the cooperative activity of developing and advancing arguments and of responding to the arguments of others

argumentative contexts

the space and relationships in which arguments are made and heard

argumentative definition

a definition employed strategically to categorize an object or event so as to support a particular conclusion to an argument

argument from direction

an argument that strings together two or more conditional statements to predict a remote result from a first step

argument from example

an argument that draws a conclusion about an entire class of objects or events based on a particular instance or a limited number of cases, rather than about a single member of a group

argument from function

an argument that locates the essential nature of an object, event, or institution in its social or natural function

argument from intent

an argument that affirms that the meaning or essential nature of an object or document is revealed in the intended meaning of its authors or designers

argument from principle

an argument that affirms that we should abide by values, principles, and duties, and avoid actions that violate the same

argument from quality

an argument that affirms the inherent value in the the beautiful, unique, or unusual

argument from quantity

an argument that affirms numerical considerations as an index of significance

argument from sign

an argument that reasons from an effect back to a cause

argument virtues

those moral qualities and skills that help people think and act morally in an argumentative situation, and thus pursue argumentation in a manner that promotes and improves its practice

arrangement fallacy

the fallacy that creates a false impression by ordering, associating, or grouping items of evidence in a misleading way

attacking a straw man

a fallacy; responding to a weakened version of an opponent's argument

attitudinal inherency

in policy debate, shows that current attitudes or beliefs contribute to the harms caused by the status quo

audience

people for whom we develop our arguments

audience analysis

seeking an accurate sense of the nature of the audience so you can adapt your arguments to that audience

biased testimony

testimony from individuals who stand to gain if what they say is accepted

burden of proof

in policy debate, the obligation to provide sufficient evidence in support of an assertion

case

a series of arguments to support the same general contention or set of conclusions

categorical argument

an argument that uses a classification system; often structured as syllogisms.

categorical statement

a statement that establishes a relationship between two categories, or classes, of objects

categorical syllogism

an argument composed of three categorical statements -- two statements that are its reasons and one that is its conclusion

causal agent

in a hypothesis, a testable element in the alleged cause that is capable of producing an observed effect

causal generalization

an argument that affirms a causal relationship between two categories, or classes, of events

circular definition

a definition of a term by reference only to factors inherent in or strongly implied by the definition itself

civil disobedience

the intentional decision to disobey a law or directive of a government authority for moral reaons

claim

a statement the advocate believes or is in the process of evaluating

coherence

a test of narrative arguments that asks whether the components in a story create a meaningful and consistent whole

common usage

as a source of definition, the meaning of a term in everyday language

complementary reasons

a pair of reasons that must work together to lend support to their conclusion

conclusion

a claim that has been reached by a process of reasoning

conclusion case

in an analogy, an instance in the argument about which a claim is being advanced