Argumentation and Debate

Components & What to Avoid

I. Components of an argumentation

 1.Making a strong case:

 Present your case clearly and support it sufficiently
with statistics, evidence and examples;
 Make it relevant to the audience;

 2. Refuting Counter-Arguments;
 3. Making an emotional appeal
  call the audience's attention to the importance
and/or urgency of your issue.
  Don’t be over-sentimental.
1-1.Making a strong case: clear statement &
strong support
 Casino: affirmative–
 a sound revenue base and an economic development
tool that could spawn other development. (e.g. hotel,
entertainment, restaurant, etc. source)
 e.g. Illinois casinos produced a total of $285 million in state
and local tax revenue in 1995, according to the state Gaming
Board's annual report.
 Monaco and South Korea use casinos strictly as tourist traps:
their own citizens are forbidden to gamble in them. In the US,
the states of Nevada and Mississippi are recognized as net
economic winners. Each is a low-population state that draws
most of its gamblers from out of state - an estimated 80%-
90% in Nevada and about 2/3 in Mississippi, according to
widely-cited figures. (source)
1-1.Making a strong case: clear statement &
strong support

 Casino: affirmative–
 Regulation (source)
 Another way of thinking: it has started.
(http://www.kao-chih-peng.org/cgi-
bin/forum_3.pl?id=&md=viw&no=0196&tn=019
6)
1-1.Making a strong case: clear statement &
strong support

 Other factors involved in being clear and

convincing:
 avoid confusion of terms; faulty logic,
 avoid unreliable sources (examines the position
implied in the sources. e.g. BBS 轉載； “All
About COHABITING Before Marriage”
 http://members.aol.com/cohabiting/
 Our prayer is that this web page might be a help to you and
others to "have life and have it abundantly" through Christ
Jesus. - Rev. Don Weston
1-2 Be relevant and updated:

 What is the present situation of the Casino

debate in Taiwan?
 Cohabitation –discuss Taiwanese cases.
2.Refuting Counter-Arguments;
 e.g. 1 Casino: negative side– (sources 1, 2 )
 gambling is addictive;
 not good for economy:
 no revenue given to the State if gambling happens on
international waters;
 e.g. "ill stray dogs should be killed"
 台南市發生流浪狗攻擊女童事件，
 單方面的捕殺絕對不可能解決流浪犬的問題。
 為了人類一己的絕對安全，把其他所有的物種都在台灣絕
跡嗎？
(source)
II. The rhetoric modes needed:

 Definition
 --- of the important concepts
 --- identify the premise(s);
 Classification
 -- divide up the issues into proper
categories
 Research & Analysis
 Narrative – as a way to give examples
II. The rhetoric modes needed:

 Definition
 e.g. Casino –
 What is gambling? Where should a casino be
located, in historic hotel or on a ship?
 Premise --e.g. cohabitation –
 Cohabitation = pre-marital sex
 Cohabitation = trial marriage? Or substitute for
marriage?
 Definition of love and marriage. living
together)
II. The rhetoric modes needed:

 Classification
 e.g. Casino –
 economics & human nature
 e.g. Cohabitation –
 purposes, emotional aspect, economic aspect, daily
matters, social expectations.
 e.g. Homosexuals should be allowed to bear &
raise children
 sexual orientation; emotional qualities; gender role
modeling
II. The rhetoric modes needed:

 Classification
 e.g. Kindergarten English education
 purposes, methods (immersion or
bilingualism), practices and possible
consequences.
II. The rhetoric modes needed:

 Narrative –
 KindergartenEnglish education: a child in
an emersion English plan 浸泡式 張湘君的
女兒 「念我一本書」（READ M E A
BOOK），張湘君要求她說中文時，女兒
便說：「你好嗎？今天」、「我肚子很餓，
現在。」
What to avoid:

 Generalization and absolute statement

 Logical fallacy
 If we put limits on the right to publish pornography,
soon all of our Constitutionally-given rights will be
taken away.
 (Slippery Slope)
 Taipei residents should not have to recycle plastics
because those who live in Kaoshiung are not required to.
 (Two Wrongs Make a Right)
What to avoid:

 God exists because the Bible says so. The Bible is

a reliable source because it is the word of God.
 (Circular Reasoning)
 If one is 16 years old or older, one can drive an
automobile in Wisconsin. I saw your niece
driving through Wausau yesterday. She must
be at least 16.
 (Affirmation of the Consequent)
What to avoid:

 If the the casino is set up, Penghu people will be

morally corrupted. The casino is not set up, so
Penghu will be spared the evils of corruption and
moral degradation.
 (Denial of the Antecedent)
 Having a television rating system is like being in
prison. Both infringe on one's rights.
 (Wrong Analogy)