Historical ArgumentOCTOBER 3 , 2013

AN ARGUMENT IS AN ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH THE TRUTH OF A CLAIM.

AN ARGUMENT OFTEN INCLUDES PREMISES, OR SUPPORTING

ARGUMENTS.

Argument

A R G U M E N T S D I F F E R F R O M E X P L A N AT I O N S. A R G U M E N T S ATT E M P T T O E S TA B L I S H T H E T R U T H O F S O M E C L A I M .

E X P L A N AT I O N S A SS U M E T H E T R U T H O F A C L A I M , A N D M E R E LY T RY T O S H O W H O W I T C A M E A B O U T, W H AT C A U S E D I T, H O W

I T W O R K S, E T C . .

Arguments and Explanations

ARGUMENT: ROVER HAS FLEAS. HE ’S BEEN SCRATCHING ALL DAY.

(WILL TRY TO PROVE THAT ROVER HAS FLEAS)

EXPLANATION: ROVER HAS FLEAS. THE NEIGHB OR’S DOG HAS FLEAS, AND HE’S BEEN PLAYING WITH HIM ALL MORNING.

(ASSUMES THE FLEAS AND EXPLAINS WHY)

For Example…

Independent Dependent

Independent premises are premises that do not rely on each other as support for the conclusion.

If the assumption that a premise is false does not cancel the support another premise provides for the conclusion, the premises are independent.

Textbooks tend to have independent premises.

Dependent premises are premises that depend on one another as support for their conclusion.

If the assumption that a premise is false cancels the support another provides for the conclusion, the premises are dependent.

Argument Premises

Independent Dependent

Example: [Premise] Raising the speed limit will wear out the highways faster. [Premise] In addition, doing so will result in more highway deaths. [Main Argument] Therefore, we should not raise the speed limit.

You can view it as two separate arguments with the same conclusion.

Example: [Premise] Raising the speed limit will waste gas. [Premise] We don’t have any gas to waste. Therefore, [Main Argument] we should not raise the speed limit.

Premises

• W H I L E I D E N T I F Y I N G P R E M I S E S C A N O F T E N H E L P S T U D E N T S I D E N T I F Y A N

A R G U M E N T,• A N D E X P L A N AT I O N S C A N O F T E N S E RV E A S

P R E M I S E S,• B O T H P R E M I S E S A N D M A I N A R G U M E N T S

A R E S O M E T I M E S U N S TAT E D, PA RT I C U L A R LY I N T E X T B O O K S.

• S O, H O W D O W E H E L P S T U D E N T S I D E N T I F Y A N D U N D E R S TA N D T H E A R G U M E N T ?

However…

For Premises For Main Arguments

Since... For... Because... In view of… Given that…

It follows that... We may conclude that... This serves to show that... Thus... This suggests that... This proves that.. Hence... Accordingly... Consequently... So... Therefore... This shows that... This implies that…

Key Words and Phrases Can Help

But in the end…

There is no magic bullet. The only real way to help kids identify the

argument is to practice.Primary sources are often easier in this

regard than textbooks, which tend to obscure their arguments under a cloak of neutrality and balance.

Sentence by sentence..

Read a sentence. Is it a fact? An explanation? A clear opinion/interpretation/argument? Label the sentence in the margin (F, E, A).

Read the next sentence, etc.Go back and look at explanations and

arguments. Which ones serve as premises for another (main) argument? Label those with a P. What is that main argument?

Is the argument explicit or implicit? If it’s implicit, summarize it in the margin.

Paragraph by Paragraph..

Identify the main argument in each paragraph.

Does the main argument of one paragraph serve as a premise for the main argument of another?

Which paragraph(s) contain the main argument the author of the source is trying to make?

**Note: There will probably be some debate about all of this. That’s as much a part of the intellectual process as anything. Just make the kids justify their answers.

Textbooks

Read and discuss the section heading. Discuss what the heading is asking the reader to look for. Note that headings often contain implicit arguments.

Go through the same process as with a primary source.

Textbook paragraphs are more likely to serve as explanations to an implicit argument (often indicated by the heading) than paragraphs in other sources.

However, this is complicated by the fact that textbooks often just stick in information that needs to be covered and that doesn’t clearly tie in with any argument.

Nehru on Building a Modern Nation

The octopus of war grips and strangles the world…

India: Democracy, Progress, and Problems

India adopted a British-style parliamentary system, with democratic rights guaranteed for all…

Standards

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences. CCRA R.1

Analyze the structure of texts. CCRA R.5

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text. CCRA R.8