Synthesis & Argument Terms

Rogerian argument - A non-confrontation writing style that seeks to find common ground and similarities as well as understanding between opposing arguments

Rebuttal - A contradiction

Qualified claim -  A claim that includes limitations or explainations

  • Ex.: Laws that govern our personal safety are a necessary part of society unless they infringe on moral, medical, or private decisions.

Inductive reasoning - The process of drawing broad conclusions from specific evidence

  • Ex.: My mom has had 5 accidents, my sister has had 8 accidents, therefore, women are bad drivers.

Deductive reasoning - The process of taking general ideas and drawing specific conclusions

  • Ex.: All apples are fruit, all fruit grow on trees, therefore apples grow on trees (not totally correct but)

Claim of fact - A statement that asserts something as true and can be supported by evidence,  must be arguable

  • Ex.: BJ’s is much more popular with younger patrons than older patrons

Claim of value - A statement that asserts the worth or value of something, must have some sort of criteria

  • Ex.: Reviews

Claim of policy -  a statement that argues a course of action should be taken to change the status quo. Must state the problem, why it’s a problem, and solution

  • Ex.: Laws

Argument - An exchange of or statement of one’s own views or opposing views

Logical fallacy - An error in the logicial structure of an argument. May be used to deceive people.

Counterargument - An argument or set of reasons put forward to oppose an idea or theory

Concession - Something granted typically in response to demands, but also to admit somebody was right or that somebody’s argument had some validity.

Refutation - Proving a statement or theory wrong in an argument

Second hand evidence - evidence not based on personal knowledge but rather what somebody else has written or said. Basically everything you learned.

Quantitative evidence - Number-based evidence used to support a claim

  • Ex.: Polls, charts, census information

Classical oration - A structured form of public speech which follows a specific pattern of introduction

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Narration

  • 3. Confirmation

  • 4. Refutation

  • 5. Conclusion

Synthesis - A type of essay which requires one to combine multiple sources for an argument