What is a counter-argument?

A counter-argument is an argument opposed to your thesis, or part of your

thesis. It expresses the view of a person who disagrees with your position.

Why would you include a counter-argument in your essay? Doesn’t that

weaken your argument?

Actually, no. Done well, it makes the argument stronger. This is because it
gives you the chance to respond to your reader’s objections before they have
finished reading. It also shows that you are a reasonable person who has
considered both sides of the debate. Both of these make an essay more
persuasive. (It is kind of like what you would do to convince a parent to let you
do something you know they do not want to let you do. You tell them why they
should let you do whatever it is. Then you go through all the reasons they
would give you for why you cannot do whatever it is and then you would
counter those reasons with logical responses on why you should be allowed
to do whatever it is they do not want you to do.)

How should a counter-argument be presented?

A counter-argument should be expressed thoroughly, fairly and objectively.

Do not just write a quick sentence and then immediately rebut it. Give reasons
why someone might actually hold that view. A few sentences or even a whole
paragraph is not an unreasonable amount of space to give to the counter-
argument. Again, the point is to show your reader that you have considered all
sides of the question, and to make it easier to answer the counter-argument.
It’s easier to respond to a point you have already spelled out—and it’s easier
for your reader to follow you.

Make sure you express the counter-argument fairly and objectively. Ask
yourself if the person who actually holds this position would accept your way
of stating it. Put yourself in their shoes and give them the benefit of the doubt.
Don’t use biased language or stack the deck when presenting their position.
Readers see through that sort of thing pretty quickly.

Obviously, if you really believe the position expressed in your thesis, you will
not be able to be completely objective in how you express the counter-
argument—but you should try. One of the most common purposes of counter-
argument is to address positions that many people hold but that you think are
mistaken. Therefore you want to be respectful and give them the benefit of the
doubt even if you think their views are incorrect. They’ll be much more likely to
be persuaded then.

How can a counter-argument be rebutted?

One of the most effective ways to rebut a counter-argument is to show that it

is based on faulty assumptions. Either the facts are wrong, the analysis is
incorrect, or the values it is based on are not acceptable. Examples of each
are given below. Furthermore, some counter-arguments are simply irrelevant,
usually because they are actually responding to a different argument. And
some counter-arguments actually make your argument stronger, once you
analyze their logic.

All of these examples use a claim from James Loewen’s book, Lies My

Teacher Told Me. In that book Loewen makes the claim that “To function
adequately in civic life … students must learn what causes racism” (143). The
examples below are ideas that you might use as a counter-argument to this
claim, in a paper agreeing with Loewen. Then you would rebut, or answer, the
counter-argument as a way to strengthen your own position.

Faulty Factual Assumption

Racism is a thing of the past; therefore, students don’t need to bother with it.

The factual assumption in this example is that racism is a thing of the past.
One response would be to muster facts to show that racism continues to be a
problem. (There’s a second assumption, which is that students don’t need to
bother with what’s in the past. Another response would be to show that
students must understand the past as well as the present “to function
adequately in civic life.”)

Faulty Analytical Assumption

Learning about racism might make students more racist.

The analytical assumption is that learning about racism can make you racist.

The response would be that understanding the causes of a problem is not the
same as causing or creating the problem. (Another assumption in this
argument is that it’s not good to make students racist. Loewen’s argument
shares this assumption, so you wouldn’t rebut it.)
Faulty Values

Who cares if students are racist?

This counter-argument is based on an assumed value that your readers

probably do not share—namely, the idea that it’s ok for students to be racist.
The response would be to point out this value, state why you don’t share it
and state why you don’t think your readers do either. Of course, values are
both deeply personal and extremely varied, so you’re always going to have
some readers who do not share yours. The key is to base your arguments on
values that most readers are likely to share or facts to support what you say.

True but Irrelevant

Students are already familiar with racism; they don’t need to study it in school.

Many students are, in fact, already familiar with racism. But Loewen is not
saying they need to learn about racism, he’s saying they need to learn
what causes it. You might be very familiar with racism but still not know what
causes it. This is a very common form of counter-argument, one that actually
rebuts a different argument. (Note that here, too, there’s a faulty assumption:
being familiar with something is not the same as knowing what causes it.)

Makes the Argument Stronger

Previous generations didn’t study the causes of racism, so why should we

start now?

The response here would be to show that previous generations did not
“function adequately in civic life,” because they had a lot of problems with
racism (segregation and more hidden forms of discrimination). Therefore, the
fact that they didn’t learn about the causes of racism, together with this other
information, actually supports the claim that students do need to learn what
causes racism. (Here again there’s a faulty assumption, implied but not
stated: Previous generations supposedly did function adequately in civic life.
The response shows that that assumption is incorrect.)
What makes a good counter-argument?

Some counter-arguments are better than others. You want to use ones that
are actually somewhat persuasive. There’s nothing to be gained by rebutting a
counter-argument that nobody believes. Two things to look for
are reasonableness and popularity.

If you yourself are somewhat unsure of the position you’ve chosen as your
thesis, it will be easier for you to identify good counter-arguments. You
already recognize that there are reasonable arguments on the other side—
that’s why you’re a little unsure. Look for those arguments that make sense to
you or that seem reasonable, even if you don’t agree with them.

On the other hand, you may be quite sure of your position, which makes it
harder to see other views as reasonable. They all look flawed to you because
you can point out their errors and show why your view is better. In that case,
look for ones that are popular, even if they are flawed. Remember, you’re
trying to persuade your readers to agree with you. So you want to speak their
language. That means answering their objections even if you don’t think the
objections are reasonable.

If you look at the examples above, you’ll probably find some more convincing
than others. Most people will probably not find the “Who cares if students are
racist” argument very convincing. On the other hand, you might find the
“students already understand” argument pretty persuasive.

Pick the arguments that you feel are reasonable. The more you can answer
those objections, the stronger you’ll make your case.
Organization
Where does the counter-argument go?

The short answer is a counter-argument can go anywhere except the

conclusion. This is because there has to be a rebuttal paragraph after the
counter-argument, so if the counter-argument is in the conclusion, something
has been left out.

In practice (there are exceptions), the rebuttal is usually not the concluding
paragraph, which means that generally the counter-argument is anywhere but
the last two paragraphs.

Counter-arguments can be very effective in introductions, especially if you are

arguing against a popularly held view. However, it’s also very common to
place them after the presentation of the case for the thesis. In other words,
they would go after all of the main points that support the thesis, but before
the conclusion—in the third-to-last paragraph, with the rebuttal in the second-
to-last. This is probably the most common position.

Generally, unless there is some compelling reason specific to the particular

argument being made, it does not make sense to put the counter-argument in
the middle of the case for the thesis. In other words, you would not typically
present two points in support of the thesis, then the counter-argument and
rebuttal, and then more points in support of the thesis.

Here are two outlines showing the most common placement of the counter-
argument. The first is probably the most common.

I. Introduction
II. Supporting point #1
III. Supporting point #2
IV. Supporting point #3
V. Supporting point #4

[There can be any number of supporting points. We generally use three

supporting points.]
Counter-argument

VI. Rebuttal
VII. Conclusion
 OR

I. Counter-argument, which also serves as introduction

II. Rebuttal, which would usually include the thesis statement
III. Supporting point #1
IV. Supporting point #2
V. Supporting point #3
VI. Supporting point #4

[There can be any number of supporting points-see above]

VII. Conclusion

How should the counter-argument be introduced?

It’s important to use clear signals to alert the reader that the paper is about to
express a view different from (typically, the opposite of) the thesis. Since the
purpose of the whole paper, including the counter-argument, is to support the
thesis, these signals are crucial. Without them the paper appears incoherent
and contradictory.

Generally, the counter-argument will begin with a word, phrase or sentence to

indicate that what follows is not the author’s view. These can range from the
very simple—sometimes the single word “But” or “However” is sufficient—to
quite complex whole sentences:

In his majisterial work on representation in western literature, a foundational

text in the discipline, Auerbach argues that the mixture of styles is an
essential ingredient of all modern realism, a view that has found wide
acceptance in the half-century since its publication.

Notice, however, that even this sentence is careful to attribute these views to
other people, and to call them “views”—in other words, to subtly hint that they
are not facts or truths.

In general, the strategy is to make it clear quickly that this is someone else’s
view. Typical introductory strategies include the following:
  Many people [believe/argue/feel/think/suppose/etc.] that [state the
counter-argument here]
 It is often [thought/imagined/supposed/etc.] that [state the counter-
argument here]
 [It would be easy to/One could easily]
[think/believe/imagine/suppose/etc.] that [state the counter-argument
here]
 It might [seem/appear/look/etc.] as if [state the counter-argument here]

Another common approach is to use a question:

 But isn’t it true that [state the counter-argument here]?

 [Doesn’t/Wouldn’t/Isn’t] [state the counter-argument here]?

You can also cite specific writers or thinkers who have expressed a view
opposite to your own:

 On the other hand, Fund argues that...

 However, Ngugi has written, ...
 Dangarembga takes the position that...

Top

How should the rebuttal be introduced?

If the counter-argument requires careful signaling, so does the rebuttal. The

essay has just done a 180° turn away from its thesis, and now it is about to do
another 180° turn to complete the circle. The reader needs warnings and
guidance or they will fall off or get whiplash—you’ll lose them, in other words,
because the essay will seem incoherent or contradictory.

The common strategies for introducing the rebuttal are the mirror image of
those for introducing the counter-argument, and they all boil down to the same
basic concept: “Yes, but....” They can be as simple as that, or as complex as
this example sentence:

While Auerbach’s claim seems initially plausible, and is backed by the

copious evidence provided by his astonishing erudition, it is marred by
an inconsistency that derives from an unsupportable and
ultimately incoherent definition.
In all cases, the job of this transitional language is to show the reader that the
opposing view is now being answered. The essay has returned to arguing its
own thesis, strengthened by having taken the opposition into account. Here
are some typical strategies. These are generic examples; they work best
when tailored to suit the specifics of the individual topic.

 What this argument [overlooks/fails to consider/does not take into

account] is ...
 This view [seems/looks/sounds/etc.]
[convincing/plausible/persuasive/etc.] at first, but ...
 While this position is popular, it is [not supported by the facts/not
logical/impractical/etc.]
 Although the core of this claim is valid, it suffers from a flaw in its
[reasoning/application/etc.]

Remember to back your argument with evidence! Everyone has an

opinion, so why should anyone listen to you? Remember to include
evidence to support what you say!!