Argument Maps

An argument map is a
diagram that captures
the logical structure of
a simple or complex
argument
An argument with one reason would have a simple map
like this:

Reason (R)
Life is short so
we should seize =
every moment
Conclusion (C)
When an argument has more than one reason it is shown like
this:

Smoking is R1 R2
unhealthy because
it can cause cancer
=
and it increases the
chance of a heart
attack C
Here, the two reasons are independent of each other. In other
words, without R1, R2 would still support C, and without R2, R1
would still support C.
When an argument has more than one reason that are
connected together it looks like this:

Los Angeles is in R1 + R2
California,
California is in the
=
USA, so Los
Angeles is in the
USA C
Here, the two reasons are connected. Both reasons work
together in a single argument to support the conclusion.
Argument maps can help to see the structure of an argument
and the reasoning involved

R R1 R2 R1 + R2

C
C C