The Importance of Effective Argument in Writing
Friday, May 21, 2010
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As you browse the blogosphere, you may find yourself stumbling across passionate rants, even on professional sites. Some of these rants are well structured and well put. Too often, they are not. It's kind of unfortunate, given that a lot of these people are making money off what amounts to verbal diarrhea. Strong words? Maybe. The thing is, someone has to stand up for the integrity of good argument.
Every time you write something, you are presenting an argument. The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word argument as, "A course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating truth or falsehood." Unfortunately, too often you find that individuals are skipping the "reasoning" component, and diving straight into allegations of truth.
What does a good argument look like? The most trusted format is the famous Toulmin's model. Developed in the 1960's, this baby has stood the test of time. Here's how it works:
First, you make a claim. Say I was claiming that you can improve your credit score by paying off your debt. My evidence would be that paying off your debt makes you look more stable and responsible. My warrant would be that a steadily decreasing amount of debt is typically associated with a steady income. The backing for my evidence would be citing an expert on the subject, like Credit.com.
This is the most basic form of the model. Other, more complicated forms also take into account "modality," or the limitations of your claim. In the case of our example, that might be me saying that paying off your debts can only help if you aren't accumulating more debt. Another common component is the "rebuttal." This addresses the modality aspect. In our example, I might say, however, if you are paying off more debt than you are adding, you can still see positive results.
This kind of structure is important for a variety of reasons. First, it requires you to have backing to support what you want to say. This helps to ensure the accuracy of your statements. Second, it forces you to explain why the claim and the data mean what you say they mean, which adds a level of clarity to your writing. Third, it (should) help to cut back on those emotional rants, as you have to put a fair level of thought into what you're saying.
Most importantly, it makes your writing a lot more credible. It shows that you are willing to research before you write, which is a fast fading priority for many people. It makes your messages easier to comprehend, which is something that readers value immensely. The culmination of these qualities makes your writing worth a lot more.
I'm a former debater, so you'll have to forgive my love affair with effective argumentation. My thing is, if you're going to put yourself out there with your writing, you should at least be armed with the knowledge that you put on a suit of well thought out armor before you did so.
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