How do I do a Counter Argument

Question

I am having trouble writing an essay for my final grade. Its making me frustrated. 

Answer 1

There are a ton of rules of thumb that can help any student think through a challenging counter-argument.  Here are some of my favorite.

 

1) Try to see thing from the other person's perspective.  What evidence do they have for their conclusion?  How did they go about collecting evidence?  What experiences led up to their decision?  You can even think about whether emotion or self-interest might be feeding their arguments (though you may want to avoid this last one in some formal debates).  Understanding what motivates someone else and the history of how they've got to where they are can be very insightful.

 

2) Try to list out the different assumptions, premises, or pieces of evidence in their argument.  Be as clear and precise as you can.  And make sure to write it out.  Ask what are their premises?  And then how are they connected?  Maybe you'll discover they're making hidden assumptions.  Now think about each part of their argument in turn.  Which are good premises and which aren't?  What is their evidence for that premise?  Where do they make logical leaps?

 

3) There are lots of lists of logical fallacies you should look into.  Here is a good list: http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/ENGL1311/fallacies.htm  Go through each and see if you can find them making one of those mistakes.

 

:)

Answer 2

Hi Camryn:

 

No doubt, writing an argument essay about varying topics can be challenging!

 

The first thing to consider is your audience. In your brainstorming process, it's important to ask questions like:

"What does my audience already know?" "How will they feel about this subject?" "How will they respond to my argument? What objections will they raise?"

 

The biggest roadblock is that many of us don't know our audience. Ideally, the teacher is main reader for an assignment like this, and certainly, he or she will "switch hats" throughout the essay to make sure you're anticipating objections.

 

So how do we find out about these possible objections?

 

The first thing we can do is research. Most of us today use the Internet for our data, but this can be tricky. Hopefully your teacher has spoken to you about how to locate good sources from bad sources, and about the importance of using documentation to show the readers where you have found that information (for more on that, please see OWL, "Avoiding Plagiarism" https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/)

 

Most important is that you find resources that are credible. This means that when something has been published, it has been verified and fact-checked by other people with similar credentials and experience. Good examples of peer reviewed sources are journals, expert testimony, studies, etc. Many of these can be found via .edu, .gov, and (sometimes) .org websites. 

 

Procon.org is a good place to start when researching opposing views. it will give you a good idea about the subject and about some of the main arguments being made. 

 

The gold standard of opposing view resources is called Opposing Viewpoints in Context database (by Gale/Cengage). Most libraries subscribe to databases (check your school and public library). 

 

Opposing Viewpoints in Context is a great resource for the following reasons:

1. It contains peer-reviewed information (studies, statistics, expert testimony) that comes from periodicals, journals, etc.
2. It gives you exposure to many points of view (including jargon and terms associated with issue). This is especially important because certain phrases convey opinion (for example: undocumented immigrant vs. illegal immigrant, Obama Care vs. The Affordable Care Act, factory farming vs. confined animal feeding operations or CAFO). 

Once you have a good idea of what the opposing view thinks, you can better anticipate and provide a counter argument.

 

For each argument you make, think about how the opposition would respond. I recommend that students dedicate one body paragraph to the main objections their reader may have. Many people place the paragraph later on in the essay, after they have made their main points. If you have a lot of main points, it may be better to address the objections in each body paragraph instead. 

 

I hope this helps!

Answer 3

Well, I think that writing essays is good for you!  It shouldn't be frustrating to grow.  Ever heard, "no pain, no gain?"  Did you know that a butterfly would die unless it had seriously struggled to break out of its cocoon?  And, how about a baby chick?  As the saying goes, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."  That's why presenting a counter argument is important.  We can't just let statements like "making me frustrated" go un-challenged.

 

Like my counter-argument?    (like at a debate)