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Structure of a well-formed argument
It does not use reasons that contradict each other, contradict the conclusion or explicitly or implicitly assumes the truth of the conclusion. Checklist:
- Does the communication include at least one reason to support the conclusion as being true? If not, it is not an argument, but an opinion.
- Could any of the key premises be interpreted as making the same claim as the conclusion? If so, then it’s a “circular argument” without independent reason given to support the conclusion.
- Do any of the premises contradict another premise, or does the conclusion contradict any of the premises?
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Constructing a good argument
At its core, an argument consists of a conclusion and one or more premises, or claims.
- The conclusion is what the communicator wants his or her audience to accept.
- The premises are the reasons for believing the conclusion to be true.
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The relevance of a premise
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, s...
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Making your own argument stronger
- 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 p...
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Sufficiency
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 sam...
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Acceptability
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 a...
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Rebuttal
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 resp...
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Other curated ideas on this topic:
Begging the question
Begging the question is an example of a fallacy of presumption, also known as a circular argument: The conclusion appears at the beginning and the end of the argument. A is true because A is true.
A valid argument in support of a claim will of...
Constructing a good argument
At its core, an argument consists of a conclusion and one or more premises, or claims.
- The conclusion is what the communicator wants his or her audience to accept.
- The premises are the reasons for believing the conclusion to be true.
How to respond to false premises
When you respond to the use of false premises, you should generally call them out as false, explain why they're false, and how them being false invalidates the argument.
- False premises can be implicit rather than explicit.
- It can also be helpful to ask the p...
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