Argument/Persuasion Terms

Persuasion

an appeal in order to compel some action

Argumentation

forming reasons, drawing conclusions, and applying them to a case in debate

Purposes of Argumentation

support a cause, promote a change, refute a theory, arouse sympathy, increase interest, win an argument, urge action

Audience Types

no opinion and don't care, no opinion but interested in learning more, people who have formed opinions and hold them tightly, people who have formed opinions but are open to other points of view

Claim

something asserted or maintained, the main point or position of your argument

Sub claim

A subordinate point to a larger claim or position in your argument

Support/Evidence

Support or evidence used to help strengthen your argument

Refutation

to discredit an argument, particularly a counterargument

Concession

Conceding, acknowledging or admitting an opponent's point

Fact

An actual occurrence

Statistic

A collection of quantitative data

Example/Anecdote

An individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern, and usually a short narrative of a relevant episode

Opinion

A judgment, view, or appraisal formed in the mind

Analogy

A comparison to a directly parallel case

Authority/Expertise

Support from an authority on the subject; expert advice or opinion.

Shared Beliefs

When a writer argues that if something is widely believed or valued, then readers should accept it

Causal Relationship

A writer asserts that one thing results from another

Pathos

Appeal based on emotion

Logos

Appeal based on logic or reason

Ethos

Appeal based on character of the speaker

Sentimental

Evoking sorrow or pity

Classical

most common tool for developing an argument is the syllogism: major proposition, minor proposition, followed by conclusion

Rogerian

To solve a problem by compromise

Deductive

Reasoning in the form of if A, then B.

Inductive

Reasoning which starts specific, then goes general. If B, then A.

Ad hominem

Attacks the personality of the individual

Ad populum

A proposition is held to be true because it is widely held to be true by some sector of the population

Ad vericundium

Belief that something said by a great person is true, even if times have changed or prove to be wrong

Nonsequitur

When one statement isn't logically connected to another

False Analogy

When 2 cases are not sufficiently parallel

Post Hoc

Circular reasoning

Over Generalization

Uses too few examples needed to reach a valid conclusion.

Stereotyping

An oversimplified conception that one is regarded as embodying a set type.

Begging the Question

Assumes something to be true that needs proof

False Authority

when the person in question is not a legitimate authority on the subject.

Slippery Slope

One asserts that some event must inevitably follow from another without any argument for the inevitability of the event in question

Equivocation

Use of expressions susceptible of a double meaning

Oversimplification

When a writer obscures or denies the complexity of the issues in an argument.

Double Standard

Set of principles permitting greater opportunity or liberty to one than to another.

Either/Or Reasoning

Does not allow for any shades of meaning, compromise or intermediate cases.

Smoke Screen

an opponent creates a weakened, incomplete, and often distorted version of an argument, then destroys it.

counterargument

a challenge to a position; an opposing argument

call to action

words that urge the reader or listener to take action