Rhetoric & Argument

LOGICAL CLAIMS

Logical Syllogism

MAJOR PREMISE

If Socrates is a man

MINOR PREMISE

And all men are mortal

CONCLUSION

Then Socrates is mortal

4 ways to state a premiseUniversal Affirmative – All people are mortal

Universal Negative – No people are perfect

Particular Affirmative – Some people are healthy

Particular Negative – Some people are not healthy

Reasoning Processes

DEDUCTIVE INDUCTIVE

REASONING

PREMISE: Austin is unprepared for the growth it is experiencing.

OBSERVATIONS: Roadways and mass transit cannot keep pace with the growth. Housing is expensive and scarce. Water rationing and concerns about utility blackouts. Cultural character is changing.

CONCLUSION: Austin needs to make immediate changes that accommodate growth and maintain the quality of life that makes Austin a great place to live.

DefinitionsCLAIM – A declarative statement that can be proved true or false

PREMISE – Proposition or assumed truth (claim) upon which the argument is based

INFERENCE – Process of applying reason to knowledge (claim) that is known or assumed to be true to reach valid conclusions

ARGUMENT – Verbal expression of the inference

CONCLUSION – The claim being supported by the argument

SYLLOGISM – The format of argument using three statement

RHETORICAL CLAIMS

FactualProve Document

EvaluativeGood BadHelpful HarmfulLike Dislike

CausalIf thenBecauseAs a result

RecommendationShouldNeed Must

Common SupportCLAIMS

Causal Claims

Use these facts:

Austin is growing by110 people per day.

Austin’s traffic is ranked 3rd worst in U.S.

To make a Causal Claim about traffic in AustinCAUSAL CLAIMS LINK TWO FACTS TOGETHER. BASIC If – then REASONING

Comparison Claim

Use these facts:

National job growth .61%

California job growth .52%

Texas job growth 1.4%

To make a Comparison Claim

Authority ClaimUse this fact and source:

Aquifer depletion between 2004 and 2008 was nearly triple the historical rate.

Source: United States Geological Association

To make an Authority Claim

*The source of information must be an expert in the field

Appeal to Needs & ValuesUse these facts:

Shopping locally puts 3X as much money into our local economy (NEED)

Shopping locally supports the character and uniqueness of the community (VALUE)

To Appeal to Needs and Values

Address Counter argumentsUse this information:

The city council is considering lowering the occupancy rate for homes from 6 unrelated adults to 4.

In the 78751 zip code north of UT where rents are high.

The demographics are mostly singles and students.

Pick a side and make a claim that Addresses the Counter argument

DefineWhat is rapid transit?

Bus? Rail? Something else?

Why is it called “rapid?”

How fast is “rapid”?

Make a definitive statement about whether MetroRapid actually addresses traffic problems in Austin.

Give Examples

The argument is that shopping at local businesses instead of National Chains and Big Box stores helps the community.

Can you name some examples of locally owned businesses in Austin?

Penguin Syllogism

Avoid using rhetorical fallacies

Challenge rhetorical fallacies when you hear them

Common Logical FALLACIES

Appeal to Authority

Authority is not always an expert on the subject• Ex. “Doctors” in

commercial ads.

Forget about other side of argument• Hardest thing to do!

Appeal to ForceThe dangers predicted are not inevitable

The consequences presented play on fear

Appeal to Popularity

Popularity equals truth and reason

•Advertisers love this fallacy• Ex. Mean Girls

•Majority can be wrong!

Ad Hominem or Personal attack

• Shifting your argument from objective to personal.

• Attack the author instead of the argument.

Name Calling

Negative Label

Stigmatize opponent

Hasty Generalization

Inductive generalization based on insufficient evidence.

False Dilemma

Presents an either-or situation that is not truly either-or.

There could be more than two choices

The audience doesn’t have to choose right now

Straw Man

Inaccurate presentation of ideas

Creates a ‘straw man’ or argument that is easy to knock down

False Analogy

The two ideas being compared are not really similar.

Slippery SlopeSuggests that one event following another is inevitable.

If – then statement that does not reflect a reasonable prediction.

Begging the Question

Circular reasoning

Assumes truth without proof