Argument Essentials

     Use a debatable topic. Another person must be able to think differently about the topic.

• Wrong: Adolf Hitler invaded the Soviet Union.
  • This is a fact. There’s no debate. And, so what?

• Right: Adolf Hitler’s betrayal of the Soviet Union led to the Nazis losing World War II.
  • The idea that Nazis lost the war due to betrayal is debatable. It can be argued that the Nazis would lose the war without betraying the Soviets.

Avoid subjective opinions. Arguments rely on objectivity and logic instead of personal preference.

• Wrong: Hot chocolate tastes better than coffee.
  • How does it taste better? Who determines what is better? Is this something that can be measured?

• Right: Hot chocolate is an alternative to coffee for those who want to cut caffeine.
  • It’s no longer about something subjective, but about caffeine content.

Avoid superlatives (good/bad, better/best, worse/worst, most)

There’s no way to measure what is best or worst. Use more concrete measurements and qualifiers.

Avoid generalizations. Be specific and use qualifiers to narrow your argument.

• Wrong: New Yorkers don’t think drivers licenses are necessary.
  • Is this referring to the state of New York or the city? Do they believe everyone should be allowed to drive without a license? No one should be allowed to drive?
• Right: Because of the availability of public transportation, many people in New York City don’t feel pressured to acquire a driver’s license as those who live in less dense urban environments.
  • This argument is specific about who, specific about the location, specific about the topic, and narrows the topic down to transportation in urban areas.

The paragraph is the basic unit for all arguments.

• All sentences in a paragraph need to be focused towards supporting the conclusion of that paragraph.
• Each separate argument must have its own paragraph.
  • A one-paragraph essay will have too many arguments and be impossible to understand.
  • Short, to the point paragraphs are better than jamming many arguments into one paragraph.

Insulting the Reader

            Never use language that insults someone with a different opinion. Your objective is to convince the reader your idea is correct. You can’t convince someone you’ve insulted.

• Wrong: People who don’t understand that abortion is wrong are misguided.
• Right: (There’s no way to make that sentence right. Delete it and go back to the actual argument).

Ethical Arguments

The Ethical Line

Many issues that are popular for essay topics are those that revolve around an ethical debate. Such ideas focus on whether or not doing X is moral or immoral.

• Examples: Abortion, genetic modification, cloning, stem cells, capital punishment, animal testing, etc.

     To argue these topics, you must define and justify where the ethical line is before any other argument. 

• When is capital punishment okay, and when is it not? Why? Who decides?

Most people skip over defining the ethical line and move forward as if the reader already agrees. Failing to identify the ethical line kills the argument before it begins.

The Societal Debate

Instead of looking at the ethical line, a better (and easier) idea is to look at the societal effects of such topics.

• What are the changes to society when abortion is legal? When it is illegal?

This approach to the topic requires the use of history (to track how the topic has changed over time) and sources that speculate on the nature of changes to society.

Draw parallels to similar topics, such as comparing the piracy of books and movies over the internet to the piracy of music, which happened decades before.