A Model for Writing about Arguments

State, Explain and Evaluate arguments.

•     Your statement of an argument should be as clear and concise as possible.

•     Your explanation should clearly identify what's at issue in the argument and distinguish it from other issues.

•     Your explanation of an argument should include definitions of the important terms in the argument or analysis.

•     Your explanation of an argument should clarify the premises, explaining their content and how they support the conclusion.

•     Evaluation of an argument considers two things:  (1) whether or not premises support the argument (whether the argument is valid, strong or neither) and (2) whether or not the premises are true.

•     In evaluating an argument, you may want to consider further arguments in support of, or against, the premises of the original argument.  Consider possible counterexamples to the general premises of the argument you are evaluating.

•     Evaluation of an argument may conclude in accepting the argument or rejecting it.  If the argument is accepted as sound, its conclusion must be accepted.  If an argument is rejected, its conclusion may yet be accepted for other reasons, or rejected on grounds of some counterargument, or one may deem the reasons in support of and against the arguments conclusion less than compelling and suspend judgment.

•     You may conclude that the argument you are evaluating provides some, perhaps even a strong but inconclusive reason, for believing its conclusion.   Consider whether there might be even stronger reasons yet for rejecting the arguments conclusion.  Weigh the importance of reasons for and against accepting conclusions.  Conclusions may be tentatively accepted or rejected based on this weighing of considerations. 

•     Suspending judgment does not mean taking a relativist or subjectivist stance on the issue (or saying that there simply is no fact of the matter).  The most reasonable alternative position is often to allow that there is some fact of the matter, but that it simply cannot be determined given the available resources.