A rulebook for arguments /
Weston, Anthony, 1954-
A rulebook for arguments / Anthony Weston. - 4th edition. - Indianapolis : Hackett Pub., 2009. - xiv, 88 p. ; 22 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-88).
Short arguments : some general rules: Identify premises and conclusion ; Develop your ideas in a natural order ; Start from reliable premises ; Be concrete and concise ; Build on substance, not overtone ; Use consistent terms --
Generalizations: Use more than one example ; Use representative examples ; Background rates may be crucial ; Statistics need a critical eye ; Consider counterexamples --
Arguments by analogy: Analogies require relevantly similar examples --
Sources: Cite your sources ; Seek informed sources ; Seek impartial sources ; Cross-check sources ; Use the Web with care --
Arguments about causes: Causal arguments start with correlations ; Correlations may have alternative explanations ; Work toward the most likely explanation ; Expect complexity --
Deductive arguments: Modus ponens ; Modus tollens ; Hypothetical syllogism ; Disjunctive syllogism ; Dilemma ; Reductio ad absurdum ; Deductive arguments in several steps --Extended arguments: Explore the issue ; Spell out basic ideas as arguments ; Defend basic premises with arguments of their own ; Consider objections ; Consider alternatives --
Argumentative essays: Jump right in ; Make a definite claim or proposal ; Your argument is your outline ; Detail objections and meet them ; Get feedback and use it ; Modesty, please! --
Oral arguments: Reach out to your audience ; Be fully present ; Signpost your argument ; Offer something positive ; Use visual aids sparingly ; End in style --
Appendix I: Some common fallacies --
Appendix II: Definitions: When terms are unclear, get specific ; When terms are contested, work from the clear cases ; Definitions don't replace arguments.
A Rulebook for Arguments is a succinct introduction to the art of writing and assessing arguments, organized around specific rules, each illustrated and explained soundly but briefly. This widely popular primer - translated into eight languages - remains the first choice in all disciplines for writers who seek straightforward guidance about how to assess arguments and how to cogently construct them. The fourth edition offers a revamped and more tightly focused approach to extended arguments, a new chapter on oral arguments, and updated examples and topics throughout.
9780872209541 (pbk.) 9780872209558 (cloth)
2008026720
Reasoning.
Logic.
English language--Rhetoric.
BC177 / .W47 2009
168 / W.A.A
A rulebook for arguments / Anthony Weston. - 4th edition. - Indianapolis : Hackett Pub., 2009. - xiv, 88 p. ; 22 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-88).
Short arguments : some general rules: Identify premises and conclusion ; Develop your ideas in a natural order ; Start from reliable premises ; Be concrete and concise ; Build on substance, not overtone ; Use consistent terms --
Generalizations: Use more than one example ; Use representative examples ; Background rates may be crucial ; Statistics need a critical eye ; Consider counterexamples --
Arguments by analogy: Analogies require relevantly similar examples --
Sources: Cite your sources ; Seek informed sources ; Seek impartial sources ; Cross-check sources ; Use the Web with care --
Arguments about causes: Causal arguments start with correlations ; Correlations may have alternative explanations ; Work toward the most likely explanation ; Expect complexity --
Deductive arguments: Modus ponens ; Modus tollens ; Hypothetical syllogism ; Disjunctive syllogism ; Dilemma ; Reductio ad absurdum ; Deductive arguments in several steps --Extended arguments: Explore the issue ; Spell out basic ideas as arguments ; Defend basic premises with arguments of their own ; Consider objections ; Consider alternatives --
Argumentative essays: Jump right in ; Make a definite claim or proposal ; Your argument is your outline ; Detail objections and meet them ; Get feedback and use it ; Modesty, please! --
Oral arguments: Reach out to your audience ; Be fully present ; Signpost your argument ; Offer something positive ; Use visual aids sparingly ; End in style --
Appendix I: Some common fallacies --
Appendix II: Definitions: When terms are unclear, get specific ; When terms are contested, work from the clear cases ; Definitions don't replace arguments.
A Rulebook for Arguments is a succinct introduction to the art of writing and assessing arguments, organized around specific rules, each illustrated and explained soundly but briefly. This widely popular primer - translated into eight languages - remains the first choice in all disciplines for writers who seek straightforward guidance about how to assess arguments and how to cogently construct them. The fourth edition offers a revamped and more tightly focused approach to extended arguments, a new chapter on oral arguments, and updated examples and topics throughout.
9780872209541 (pbk.) 9780872209558 (cloth)
2008026720
Reasoning.
Logic.
English language--Rhetoric.
BC177 / .W47 2009
168 / W.A.A