The 5 Principles of Good Argument

A premise is relevant if it provides some bearing on the truth of the conclusion. Checklist:

• If the premise were true, does it make you more likely to believe that the conclusion is true? If yes, the premise is probably relevant.
• Even if the premise were true, should it be a consideration for accepting the truth of the conclusion? If no, then the premise is probably not relevant.

A premise should be acceptable to a mature, rational adult.

The claim should meet the following standards:

• It is a matter of undisputed common knowledge.
• It's confirmed by one’s own personal experience or observation.
• It's an uncontroverted claim from a relevant authority.
• It's a relatively minor claim that seems to be a reasonable assumption.

This principle is a judgment call. Checklist:

• Are the reasons provided enough to drive to the arguer’s conclusion?
• Is the premise based on insufficient evidence or faulty causal analysis? Some premises provide evidence that is based on too small a sample or unrepresentative data.
• Is some key or crucial evidence missing that must be provided in order to accept the argument?

A good argument includes an effective rebuttal to all anticipated serious criticisms of the argument. Arguers often use arguments that misrepresent the criticism, bring up trivial objections as a side issue, or resort to humor or ridicule are using devices that clearly fail to make effective responses. Checklist:

• Does the provided argument address the strongest counterarguments effectively?
• Does the arguer anticipate and address serious weaknesses in the argument?
• Does the argument show why alternative positions are flawed?

• Structure: Explicitly call out your conclusion and the supporting reasons.
• Relevance: Ensure that all materials you’re presenting as part of your argument are relevant. 
• Acceptability: Soften any absolute claims to make them more acceptable. (e.g. “most politicians” instead of “all politicians”) 
• Sufficiency: Put yourself in your audience’s place, and see if the reasons are sufficient to accept your conclusion.
• Rebuttal: Declare upfront what the weakest parts of your argument are and proactively address them.