Guidelines for Constructing Arguments #1

The easiest way to construct an argument is to work backwards:

Start by (1) identifying the conclusion you want to prove.

After this, (2) identify relevant reasons to use as premises that support this conclusion.

Then (3) restate the premises and conclusion so that they fit into an appropriate argument form.

Finally, (4) evaluate the argument.

I. Identify the conclusion

Make a claim that you want to prove, stated concisely in a single sentence. Make sure that your claim is controversial, i.e., is a claim that a significant number of people would disagree with. Otherwise you are making things too easy for yourself.

2. Identify relevant reasons for the premises

A. Brainstorm a list of all the possible reasons why someone would accept this conclusion, stating each one independently and concisely. You should have at least 5 different reasons. Do not list any reasons that are based on beliefs or opinions that are very controversial, e.g., religious beliefs.

B. Evaluate and rank the reasons, selecting the ones that you think are most plausible and do the best job of supporting the conclusion. You will use each of these reasons to formulate a separate argument for the conclusion.

3. Fit the premises and conclusion into an appropriate argument form

A. For each of the reasons, determine what is the most appropriate argument form for supporting the conclusion.

B. Restate the premise and conclusion accordingly.

C. You will probably need to add one or more additional premises to each argument

4. Evaluate the argument

A. Are all of the premises uncontroversial true (i.e., would almost everyone accept them)?

B. How solid is the logical structure of the argument? If the argument is deductive, is it valid? If the argument is inductive, is it strong? Could it be stronger? Have you avoided informal fallacies?