TODAY’S GOALS Introduced basic and advanced strategies for counterarguments Continue planning for the class debate

COUNTERARGUMENT STRATEGIES Basic Rebutting main ideas Attacking evidence Conceding to specific points Advanced Strategies/ Logical Fallacies Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc Hasty generalizations False analogies Either/or reasoning Ad hominem Circular reasoning Slippery slope

BASIC COUNTERARGUMENT STRATEGIES 3 Main strategies Rebutting main ideas Questions are a powerful strategy here Anticipate what your opponents will say You can question your opposition’s argument/thesis (consider the language carefully), underlying assumptions of the opposing argument, the supporting reasons, or the evidence used to support those reasons Attacking evidence Many times your opponent’s argument will be strong on its own, but that does not mean it is completely rhetorically sound When you cannot find direct fault with a claim, consider disputing the reasons used to support that claim Examining the argument’s use of all three rhetorical appeals can be helpful here Conceding to opposing views or evidence: In some cases, a certain point of your opposition’s argument may be so strong that it is not easy to counter. In this case, you may wish to concede the point This is not “giving up”.” It acknowledges that an issue is complex and can actually make you seem like a more credible speaker overall However, you can, after conceding a point, you should transition the argument to an area in which your own view/reasons are strong or an area in which your opponent’s argument is weak

BASIC COUNTERARGUMENT STRATEGIES Attacking a thesis If the thesis statement seems to be in response to a thesis question, offer your own possible answer to that thesis question Look for logical fallacies or underlying assumptions (logos) Look at ‘because’ clauses first as an easy way to identify underlying assumptions Ask questions that your opposing side cannot easily answer Find parts of the thesis that are too strongly stated and can be negated with a counterexample Consider a pathos appeal: an argument may be logical, but that does not mean it is sympathetic to all views. Use your audiences’ beliefs and emotions to convince them instead Attacking evidence or supporting reasons Consider the three rhetorical appeals to be a pyramid that holds up the argument; if one is missing or weak, attacking that area can cause the whole argument to fall apart Look for absolutes: if an argument says anything with complete certainty, all you need is a single counterexample to refute it Attack the credibility (ethos) of the evidence. Is it from a reliable source? Was their methodology flawed? Was their sample size large enough to be generalizable? Does the main idea of a supporting source align with the main idea of the counterargument? Many articles will use sources only for a particular piece of data, and if you look at the source of their information, you can often use it against them Look for logical fallacies and underlying assumptions

PRACTICE COUNTERARGUMENTS For each of the following, identify at least one underlying assumption and a possible objection or counterargument to the claim: A.“The government was justified in invading its neighbor country because they were harboring terrorists B.According to Parenting.com, social media has very negative effects on most people’s interpersonal relationships so parents should limit their children’s usage of it C.Citizens have the right to bear arms because that’s what the constitution says C.The government has the right to monitor citizens’ electronic communications because this is the best way to prevent terrorism

ADVANCED COUNTERARGUMENT STRATEGIES: INFORMAL FALLACIES Pg. 359 Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc: Latin for “after this, therefore because of this” When an argument claims that one thing has caused another, you can point out the many ways in which causation is difficult to prove and a suggested causation may only be correlation Hasty Generalizations: When an opponent generalizes information from a small study or small group to a larger one, point out how this information may not be applicable and how the larger group differs from the smaller one False Analogy When your opponents use examples and analogies between multiple things or situations, you can disprove their arguments by showing the ways in which those things are different (and thus their analogies do not apply)

ADVANCED COUNTERARGUMENT STRATEGIES: INFORMAL FALLACIES Either/or Reasoning When an opponent tries to boil down a complex issue into only two sides or two choices, point out the myriad of other possibilities to disprove their argument. Ad Hominem Latin for “against the person” If you cannot find fault with an argument, attack the credibility of the arguer instead Appeals to False Authority When an opponent supports their argument with the fact that “many people” or a famous person support it, point out that these people are not experts or authorities on the matter. Just because something is the most common view does not mean that it is right

ADVANCED COUNTERARGUMENT STRATEGIES: INFORMAL FALLACIES Circular Reasoning When an opponent draws in or restates their main idea as part of the evidence to support it, illustrate this for readers to show the argument has not external evidence Slippery slope When your opponent implies that doing one action will lead to an inevitable series of events, point out the problems with causation and the many ways and times it can be stopped.

GROUP ACTIVITY: ADVANCED COUNTERARGUMENT STRATEGIES In your unit 4 groups Read through the claims on page 353 and answer questions 1-3

GROUP ACTIVITY 2: DEBATE PLANNING In your new debate groups Begin to work on preparations for your debate 1.Will you appoint a group leader? If so, who? If not, how will you make decisions during the debate? 2.Will your group be using a set order or flexible order? If a flexible order, how will you decide the order during the debate? (You will have very little time for this) 3.What speaking point could each student use? 4.How are the three rhetorical appeals being used in question 3? 5.What research or multimedia could each student bring in to strengthen their argument?

HOMEWORK Class cancelled on Monday 4-18 for conferences Synthesis essay 1 st draft Due Tuesday 4-19 to Turnitin.com by midnight 250+ words Should include your hook, thesis, and forecasting as well as your works cited page