CHAPTER 13: CAUSAL ARGUMENTS ENG 101: Writing I from Practical Argument

WHAT IS A CAUSAL ARGUMENT?  Causal arguments attempt to find causes or identify possible effects  Identifies the causes of an event or situation and takes a stand on what actually caused it  Focuses on effects, taking a position on what a likely outcome is, has been, or will be  In an essay you:  Search for the causes of an event or situation  Examine a number of different possible causes before concluding that a particular cause was the most likely one  Consider the possible outcomes or results of a given event or situation  Conclude that one possible effect would most likely occur

EXAMPLES  Are designated bicycle lanes really safer cyclists?  Is autism caused by childhood vaccines?  Is fast food making Americans fat?  Do charter schools improve students’ academic performance?  Does profiling decrease the likelihood of a terrorist attack?

VISUAL ARGUMENTS

UNDERSTANDING CAUSE-AND- EFFECT RELATIONSHIPS  Cause and effect relationships can be very complex  A single event or situation can have many possible results  Not all results are equally significant  An event or situation may have more than one cause  Identifying cause(s) may be difficult

MAIN AND CONTRIBUTORY CAUSES  In a causal argument, you focus on:  Identifying what you believe is the most important cause  Presenting arguments that convince readers why it is the most important cause  Showing why other causes are not as important  Identifying factors, if necessary, that are not causes and explaining why

MAIN AND CONTRIBUTORY CAUSES CONTINUED  The most important cause is the main cause  May be difficult to identify  May not be the most obvious cause  The less important causes are the contributory causes  Identifying the main cause is important because you will use it to structure and support your argument

IMMEDIATE AND REMOTE CAUSES  The immediate cause is the most obvious cause because it occurs right before an event  May not be the main cause  Remote causes are factors that occurred further in the past but  May have had a greater impact

CAUSAL CHAINS  A causal chain is a sequence of events in which one event causes the next, which in turn causes the next, and so on

CAUSAL CHAINS CONTINUED When you write a causal argument, you can organize your essay as a causal chain  Example: Childhood Obesity Epidemic  Thesis: US Elementary Schools are at fault for causing American children to fail to see the importance of a healthy lifestyle  Elementary schools do not stress the importance of exercise and nutrition in gym and health classes  As a result, children do not understand the importance of regular physical activity and eating right  With little incentive to learn the essentials of a healthy lifestyle, children establish bad habits such as playing video games and snacking on junk food  As a result, American children are more likely to be overweight or obese  Concluding Statement: Because the habits of a healthy lifestyle are established early, US elementary schools should to take responsibility for encouraging children to eat right and exercise

KEY WORDS FOR A CAUSAL ARGUMENT  When you write causal arguments, choose verbs that indicate causal connections  Bring about  Create  Lead to  Encourage  Influence  Contribute to  Originate in  Cause  Use transitional words to help readers follow your argument  Consequently  As a result  Repeat key words to help identify individual causes and effects  Cause  Effect  Outcome  Result

POST HOC REASONING  Post Hoc Reasoning is the incorrect assumption that because an event precedes another event, it has caused the event  As you develop your causal argument, be careful not to assume that every event that somehow precedes another event has somehow caused it

STRUCTURING A CAUSAL ARGUMENT  Introduction  Establishes a context for the argument by explaining the need to examine causes or consider effects  States the essay’s thesis  Evidence (first point in support of the thesis)  Discusses less important causes or effects  Evidence (second point in support of the thesis)  Discuss more important causes or effects  Evidence (third point in support of the thesis)  Discusses major causes or effects  Refutation of opposing arguments  Considers and rejects other possible causes or effects  Conclusion  Reinforces the argument’s main point (thesis)  Includes a strong concluding statement