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A Rulebook for Arguments » (4th Edition)

Book cover image of A Rulebook for Arguments by Anthony Weston

Authors: Anthony Weston
ISBN-13: 9780872209541, ISBN-10: 0872209547
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Date Published: November 2008
Edition: 4th Edition

Author Biography: Anthony Weston

Book Synopsis

A Rulebook for Arguments is a succinct introduction to the art of writing and assessing arguments, organized around specific rules, each illustrated and explained soundly but briefly. This widely popular primer - translated into eight languages - remains the first choice in all disciplines for writers who seek straightforward guidance about how to assess arguments and how to cogently construct them.

The fourth edition offers a revamped and more tightly focused approach to extended arguments, a new chapter on oral arguments, and updated examples and topics throughout.

Booknews

"What's the point of arguing?" So begins a concise, but dense with examples, examination of the logic of argumentation<-->moving from general rules in composing a brief argument to writing an argumentative essay. Lacks an index, information on the author, and dates of previous editions. Suitable as a supplementary text. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

	Preface	ix
	Introduction	xi
I.	Composing a Short Argument: Some General Rules	1
1.	Distinguish premises and conclusion	1
2.	Present your ideas in a natural order	3
3.	Start from reliable premises	4
4.	Be concrete and concise	5
5.	Avoid loaded language	6
6.	Use consistent terms	7
7.	Stick to one meaning for each term	8
II.	Arguments by Example	10
8.	Give more than one example	11
9.	Use representative examples	12
10.	Background information is crucial	14
11.	Consider counterexamples	17
III.	Arguments by Analogy	19
12.	Analogy requires a relevantly similar example	21
IV.	Arguments from Authority	24
13.	Sources should be cited	25
14.	Seek informed sources	26
15.	Seek impartial sources	28
16.	Cross-check sources	30
17.	Personal attacks do not disqualify a source	30
V.	Arguments about Causes	32
18.	Explain how cause leads to effect	33
19.	Propose the most likely cause	35
20.	Correlated events are not necessarily related	36
21.	Correlated events may have a common cause	36
22.	Either of two correlated events may cause the other	38
23.	Causes may be complex	38
VI.	Deductive Arguments	40
24.	Modus Ponens	41
25.	Modus Tollens	42
26.	Hypothetical Syllogism	44
27.	Disjunctive Syllogism	46
28.	Dilemma	47
29.	Reductio ad absurdum	48
30.	Deductive arguments in several steps	50
VII.	Composing an Argumentative Essay
A.	Exploring the Issue	53
A1.	Explore the arguments on all sides of the issue	54
A2.	Question and defend each argument's premises	56
A3.	Revise and rethink arguments as they emerge	57
VIII.	Composing an Argumentative Essay
B.	Main Points of the Essay	59
B1.	Explain the question	59
B2.	Make a definite claim or proposal	60
B3.	Develop your arguments fully	61
B4.	Consider objections	62
B5.	Consider alternatives	63
IX.	Composing an Argumentative Essay
C.	Writing	64
C1.	Follow your outline	64
C2.	Keep the introduction brief	65
C3.	Give your arguments one at a time	65
C4.	Clarify, clarify, clarify	67
C5.	Support objections with arguments	68
C6.	Don't claim more than you have shown	69
X.	Fallacies	71
	The Two Great Fallacies	71
	Some Classical Fallacies	73
Appendix	Definition	79
D1.	When terms are unclear, get specific	80
D2.	When terms are contested, work from the clear cases	82
D3.	Don't expect definitions to do the work of arguments	84
	Next Steps	86

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