Argumentative strategies

Appeal to Authority

Uses expert opinions to support an argument, being cautious of non-experts or celebrities.

Example: A scientist explaining climate change is credible, but a pop star is not.

Appeal to Common Belief

Uses widely accepted opinions or biases to convince people.

Example: “Everyone knows fast food is unhealthy, so we should avoid it.”

Appeal to Emotion

Tries to persuade by making people feel strong emotions like fear, sadness, or sympathy.

Example: “Imagine a homeless child starving on the streets—shouldn’t we help?”

Appeal to Morality

Uses people’s sense of right and wrong to argue a point.

Example: “Lying is always wrong, so we should never deceive others.”

Argument ad Hominem

Attacks a person instead of their argument.

Example: “You can’t trust his opinion on taxes—he’s a millionaire!”

Argument by Analogy

Compares two similar situations to make a point.

Example: “Just as plants need water to grow, children need love to thrive.”

Argument by Consequence

Uses an 'if… then…' statement to show cause and effect.

Example: “If you study hard, then you’ll pass the test, so you should study.”

Argument by Definition

Bases an argument on the definition of a key term.

Example: “By definition, stealing is taking something without permission, so downloading pirated movies is stealing.”

Argument by Example

Uses one specific case to make a general point.

Example: “My friend ate only junk food and got sick, so junk food is bad for you.”

Argument from Ignorance

Says that since something hasn’t been proven false, it must be true.

Example: “No one has proven aliens don’t exist, so they must be real.”

Use of Anecdote

Uses a personal story to make a larger argument.

Example: “I was denied a loan despite a good credit score, so the system is unfair.”

Use of Statistics

Uses numbers and data to support a claim.

Example: “Crime rates dropped by 20% last year, so our new policies are working.”

A method of persuasion that relies on numerical evidence to validate arguments.