Analyzing Arguments

I. Components of an Argument

A. Argument—a related series of statements that are made in an attempt to persuade the
reader or listener to believe that the conclusion is true.

The conclusion is the "what" or the point that is supported by the premises.

E.g., We have had very little rain this season. Consequently, water will have to be rationed.

B. Premises—the statements that provide the support for a conclusion (reasons)

Example of unstated premise:

[Premise] You can't check books out of the library without an ID card.

[Conclusion] Bill won't be able to check any books out.

Unstated premise must be Bill has no ID card.

**If you cannot identify at least one premise and at least one conclusion, then it is not an
argument.

E.g., She looked deep into his baby blue eyes and proclaimed, "I love you."

Are you tired of the way politics are run in this country, If so, vote for me.

C. Assumptions—statements for which no proof or evidence is offered. Can be either

stated or unstated (implied).

D. Qualifiers—a constraint or restriction on the conclusion. It states the conditions under

which the conclusion is supported.

Example:

It is important that we have some indicators of what and how much students are learning in
college [1]. For this reason, a national college-level testing program is needed [2]. However, if
the national assessment is not related to the subjects taught in the college curriculum, then it will
not be a valid measure of college-level learning [3].

2 is the conclusion
1 is the premise

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An unstated assumption is that a national college-level testing program is a good way to indicate
what students are learning.

3 is a qualifier (or limiting condition)

E. Counterarguments—the set of statements that refute a particular conclusion.

F. Diagramming

The conclusion is at the top of the diagram and the premises are below holding up the
conclusion.

Example:

You really should consider becoming a physics major [1]. The topic is interesting [2] and there
are plenty of good jobs available [3].

The reason [we have so many juvenile delinquents] 1 is that [there are too many working
mothers.] 2

II. Using Argument Structure when Writing and Speaking

1. What is your conclusion? What is the point (or points) you want to make?

2. What are the reasons that support your conclusion? How strong are they?

3. What assumptions are you making? Are they reasonable assumptions? Should
they be explicitly stated?

4. What are the conditions under which the conclusion might not be true? Are
qualifiers needed?

5. What are the counterarguments? Why should a reader or listener not believe in
your conclusion? What alternative conclusions have you actively considered?

6. What’s missing? Are other conclusions possible given the reasons? Are
there other reasons? Other counterarguments? Other assumptions?

III. Evaluating the Strength of an Argument

A. Acceptable and Consistent Premises

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The premises are acceptable and consistent.
Acceptable--We can reasonably believe the premise is true.
May come from an expert (credible?), be a "truth" of science, or be personal or shared
knowledge.
Consistency--When several premises are presented, they may not contradict each other.

B. Premises that support the conclusion

The premises are relevant to the conclusion and provide sufficient support for the conclusion.

C. Missing Components

Missing components have been considered and are judged to be consistent with the conclusion.

***Don’t confuse the truth or acceptability of a conclusion with the soundness of an argument.
A conclusion can be objectively true, even when the argument is unsound. The conclusion could
be true for reasons that have nothing to do with the information stated in the argument.

Example:
The structure of the family has been changing rapidly, with more single parents now heading
their own households. consequently, the divorce rate has begun to level off and decline slightly.

Conclusion about divorce rate is true, but argument is unsound because the premise does not
support the conclusion.

IV. How to Analyze an Argument

1. Determine if the passage contains an argument. There must be at least one premise and at least
one conclusion.

2. Identify all the stated and unstated component parts: premises, conclusions, assumptions,
qualifiers, and counterarguments.

3. Are the premises acceptable and consistent?

4. Diagram the argument. To what extent do the premises provide support for the conclusion?

5. Consider the strength of counterarguments, assumptions, qualifiers, and omitted premises.

6. Come to a global determination of the soundness of the argument.

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