THE IMPORTANCE OF

ADDRESSING OPPOSING VIEWS

• WHEN YOU CONSIDER AND COUNTERACT
OPPOSING ARGUMENTS, YOU STRENGTHEN
YOUR OWN ARGUMENT.
 KEY TAKEAWAYS
• ARGUMENT – IS A WRITTEN OR SPOKEN FORM OF DEFENSE. AN
ARGUMENT SHOULD TAKE A STANCE ABOUT A PARTICULAR POINT
OF VIEW, THESIS OR CLAIM.
• TRY TO ANTICIPATE WHAT OBJECTIONS YOUR READERS MIGHT
HAVE TO YOUR ARGUMENT, AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHY THEY
MIGHT OBJECT.
• AN ACADEMIC ARGUMENT SUPPORTS ITS CLAIM WITH SOUND
REASONING, RESEARCH, AND EVIDENCE SUCH AS FACTS,
STATISTICS, AND QUOTED OPINIONS FROM AUTHORITIES ON BOTH
SIDES OF THE ARGUMENT.
• A SKEPTICAL READER HAS DOUBTFUL, QUESTIONING
ATTITUDE, AND EXPECTS A THOROUGH PRESENTATION OF
LOGICAL REASONING AND EVIDENCE. THIS CAN BE A
HELPFUL AUDIENCE TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN WRITING
YOUR PAPER.
• IN RESEARCH PHASE, GATHERING EVIDENCE AGAINST
YOUR ARGUMENT WILL HELP YOU REFUTE
COUNTERARGUMENTS IN THE WRITING STAGE.
• COUNTERARGUMENT – AN ARGUMENT THAT IS OPPOSED
TO ANOTHER ARGUMENT
• ARGUMENT – AN ATTEMPT TO PERSUADE SOMEONE OF
SOMETHING, BY GIVING REASONS OR EVIDENCE FOR
ACCEPTING A PARTICULAR CONCLUSION.
• REFUTE – TO PROVE SOMETHING OR SOMEONE WRONG.
 STEPS IN HAVING OPPOSING VIEW
• SINCERE EXPLORATION OF COUNTERARGUMENTS – YOUR AIM IS
TO GET THE TRUTH OF THE ISSUE YOU’RE ADDRESSING.
• RESEARCH BOTH SIDES – ANTICIPATE WHAT AN OPPONENT MIGHT
SAY, DON’T LIMIT YOURSELF TO SYMPATHETIC SOURCES, FIND
SOURCES THAT DISAGREE WITH YOUR ARGUMENTS. BE WELL
INFORMED ABOUT THE TOPIC.
• UNDERSTAND THE OTHER POINT OF VIEW – CONSIDER OTHER
PEOPLE’S SIDE ON THE SITUATION.
• PROVE YOUR POINT – GIVING STRONGEST ARGUMENT AND
STRONGEST EVIDENCE.
• IF YOUR OPPOSING VIEW COMES FROM OTHER AUTHOR,
INTRODUCE THE AUTHOR.
• USE NEUTRAL LANGUAGE SUCH AS “CONTENDS”,
“ARGUES”, “SUGGESTS”, “ADMITS”, “CLAIMS”, “BELIEVES”.
• YOU CAN ALSO INTRODUCE YOUR COUNTERARGUMENTS
USING DIRECT QUOTATIONS.
• FIND CREDIBLE SOURCES FOR
COUNTERARGUMENTS.