Material taken from the following Material taken from the following source:source:

http://www.writingcentre.ubc.ca/workhttp://www.writingcentre.ubc.ca/workshop/tools/argument.htmshop/tools/argument.htm

Please visit their link to learn even Please visit their link to learn even more about persuasion and more about persuasion and argumentation.argumentation.

This link is already at Mr. Brown’s This link is already at Mr. Brown’s web site.web site.

Deductive reasoning, Deductive reasoning, or deductionor deduction, starts , starts

with a with a generalgeneral case and case and deduces deduces specificspecific

instances.instances.

DeductionDeduction is used is used by scientists who by scientists who

take a general take a general scientific law and scientific law and

apply it to a certain apply it to a certain case.case.

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes used used deductiondeduction

when he took some when he took some general indicators general indicators and deduced the and deduced the

specific details of a specific details of a rather difficult case.rather difficult case.

Example:Example:

All cats are mammals.All cats are mammals.Fluffy is a cat.Fluffy is a cat.Therefore, fluffy is a Therefore, fluffy is a mammal.mammal.

All people who smoke endanger All people who smoke endanger their health. (major premise)their health. (major premise)

My father smokes. (minor premise)My father smokes. (minor premise)Therefore, my father is Therefore, my father is endangering his health. endangering his health. (conclusion)(conclusion)

You need to offer You need to offer evidenceevidence in support of your claimsin support of your claims

It may be impossible to It may be impossible to prove a prove a cause-effect linkcause-effect link

between my father's between my father's smoking and his declining smoking and his declining

health health

Other issues you may Other issues you may bring in to support your bring in to support your

argument: argument: 2nd hand smoke / impact 2nd hand smoke / impact on family and friendson family and friends

the staggering number of the staggering number of people over 60 years old people over 60 years old who die from lung cancer who die from lung cancer

Inductive Inductive reasoning: starting reasoning: starting from specifics and from specifics and deriving a general deriving a general rule. rule.

If I were to argue If I were to argue that my father was that my father was

endangering his endangering his health by smoking, I health by smoking, I might cite specific might cite specific

symptoms:symptoms:

His teeth are yellowish and he's lost His teeth are yellowish and he's lost a considerable amount of weight. a considerable amount of weight.

He's no longer able to cycle his 25km He's no longer able to cycle his 25km every morning. every morning.

Whenever he exerts himself Whenever he exerts himself physically, he ends up coughing physically, he ends up coughing extremely hard. extremely hard.

Other Logical Appeals?Other Logical Appeals?

You could cite You could cite smoking/cancer statistics, smoking/cancer statistics, authority in the form of authority in the form of the Surgeon General, the Surgeon General, financial costs etc...financial costs etc...

Appealing to Emotion:Appealing to Emotion:

The logical appeal is The logical appeal is certainly an extremely certainly an extremely persuasive tool.  However, persuasive tool.  However, our human nature also our human nature also lets us be influenced by lets us be influenced by our emotions. our emotions.

One way of evoking One way of evoking emotion in your emotion in your

reader is to use vivid reader is to use vivid images. images.

Ex. (to my father who Ex. (to my father who smokes): "I remember smokes): "I remember when Grandma died of when Grandma died of lung cancer.  It was the lung cancer.  It was the

first time I had ever seen first time I had ever seen you cry Dad. I remember you cry Dad. I remember that you also made me that you also made me

promise not to start promise not to start smoking."smoking."

You could also offer You could also offer vivid examples in vivid examples in support of your support of your argument.  Use argument.  Use language and/or language and/or images that are images that are

emotionally charged:  emotionally charged:  

You might detail the You might detail the pain of going through pain of going through

chemo therapy. chemo therapy. You could use X-rays You could use X-rays of diseased lungs, or of diseased lungs, or photos of cancerous photos of cancerous

gums.gums.

Be careful, however, Be careful, however, that when you use that when you use

emotional appealemotional appeal, you , you use it "legitimately."  use it "legitimately." 

You should not use it as You should not use it as a substitute for logical a substitute for logical and/or ethical appeals. and/or ethical appeals. 

Don't use emotional Don't use emotional appeals to draw on appeals to draw on

stereotypes or stereotypes or manipulate our manipulate our emotional fears.emotional fears.

Don't use emotional appeal Don't use emotional appeal to get an automatic, knee-to get an automatic, knee-

jerk reaction from jerk reaction from someone.  If you use someone.  If you use emotionally charged emotionally charged

language or examples language or examples simply to upset or anger an simply to upset or anger an

audience, you are using audience, you are using emotion illegitimately. emotion illegitimately. 

Your use of Your use of emotional appeal emotional appeal

shouldn't shouldn't oversimplify a oversimplify a

complicated issue.complicated issue.

Appealing to our Appealing to our good character:good character:

The appeal of your The appeal of your ethics can occur on ethics can occur on one or more of the one or more of the

following levels in any following levels in any given argument: given argument:

Are you a reasonable Are you a reasonable person? (That is, are person? (That is, are you willing to listen, you willing to listen,

compromise, concede compromise, concede points?)points?)

Are you authoritative? Are you authoritative? (Are you experienced (Are you experienced and/or knowledgeable and/or knowledgeable

in the field you are in the field you are arguing in?) arguing in?)

Are you an Are you an ethical/moral person ethical/moral person

(Is what you're arguing (Is what you're arguing for ethically for ethically

sound/morally right)sound/morally right)

Are you concerned for Are you concerned for the well-being of your the well-being of your audience? (To what audience? (To what

extent will you benefit extent will you benefit as a result of arguing as a result of arguing from your particular from your particular

position?) position?)

The ethical appeal is The ethical appeal is based on the based on the

audience's perception audience's perception of the speaker. of the speaker.

Therefore, the audience Therefore, the audience must trust the speaker must trust the speaker in order to accept the in order to accept the

arguments.arguments.

Don't overlook ethical Don't overlook ethical appeal, as it can be appeal, as it can be the most effective of the most effective of

the three.the three.