Mary Jean Harrold 1CS 4001

Logical Structure of Arguments (cont’d)

Mary Jean Harrold 2CS 4001

The Toulmin System (review)

Initial enthymeme:

Claim: Stated Reason:

Grounds: Warrant:

Backing:

Conditions of Rebuttal: Rebutting reasons and grounds Rebutting the warrant and backing

Qualifiersince cannot usually prove your argument, qualify it

Mary Jean Harrold 3CS 4001

The Toulmin System (example)

Initial enthymeme: Globalization is ethically wrong because it does not improve the quality of life in poor, developing countries

Claim: Globalization is ethically wrongStated Reason: because it does not improve the quality of life in poor developing

countries Grounds: Warrant:

Backing:

Conditions of Rebuttal: Rebutting reasons and grounds Rebutting the warrant and backing

Qualifier:since cannot usually prove your argument, qualify it

Mary Jean Harrold 4CS 4001

ISSUE QUESTION: Should it be legal for drivers to talk on cell phones while driving?

Audience: Your state political representativesClaim: Cell phones should be illegal to use while driving.Reason 1: because holding a cell phone in one hand diminishes drivers’ capacity

to control their cars physicallyGrounds: Find statistics showing how many drivers have had trouble making turns or staying in their lanes when talking on ca cell phone; statistics of number of accidents caused by cell phone usersWarrant: Anything that interferes with drivers’ ability to handle their cars is badBacking:

Conditions of Rebuttal for Reason 1: Cell phones have been shown to be valuable in road emergencies; many business people need cell phones to make contact with clients and need to save time by talking while they are driving; drivers use their hands to do a lot of other equally or more distracting things while driving, such as drinking coffee, reading, fiddling with CDs and tapes, shaving, putting on make-up; should these activities be banned too?

Qualifier: Except with a headset of speaker-phone, cell phones should be illegal to use while driving

Mary Jean Harrold 5CS 4001

Audience: Your state political representativesClaim: Cell phones should be illegal to use while driving.Reason 2:

Grounds: Warrant: Backing:

Conditions of Rebuttal for Reason 2 Qualifier:

ISSUE QUESTION: Should it be legal for drivers to talk on cell phones while driving?

Mary Jean Harrold 6CS 4001

Audience-based Reasons

Audience-based VS writer-based Discussion:

What is the warrant Will audience grant it?

1. Audience: a beleaguered parenta. I should be allowed to stay out until 2 A.M. because all my

friends do

b. I should be allowed to stay out until 2 A.M. because only if I’m free to make my own decisions will I mature

Mary Jean Harrold 7CS 4001

1. Who is your audience?

2. How much do they care about your issue?

3. What is your audience’s current attitude toward your issue?

4. What will be your audience’s likely objections to your argument?

5. What values, beliefs, or assumptions about the work do you and your audience share?

Who is Your Audience

Mary Jean Harrold 8CS 4001

What Will Be Your Audiences in the Next Five Years?

In each case, for what are you trying to argue?

Mary Jean Harrold 9CS 4001

What Will Be Your Audiences in the Next Five Years?

In each case, for what are you trying to argue?

1. A company where you want to get a job

2. A boss whom you want to convince about your project.

3. A project leader whom you want to convince about your design.

4. A customer whom you want to convince about your plan for developing their software.

5. A graduate school where you want to enroll.

6. A teacher whom you want to convince to pass you