1. Michael Bobian
UN2001
Warrants

2. In General Explain our reasoning Abstract, debated, hard to understand
Connect Claim and Reason
How evidence is connected to Reason
Commonplace
Explicit
Implicit

3. What Warrants Look Like
Direct or Oblique
If a problem continues, resources invested in prevention are wasted.
Spending money for nothing is a waste.
An ounce of prevention is wasted if you still need the cure.

4. What Warrants Look Like
Two Parts
General circumstance
General consequence
When(ever) X, then Y.
Figure 1

5. Knowing When to Warrant
Many principle of reasoning so:
Researchers state warrants when they think readers will quesetion
Reader will question (look for a warrant if)
Principle of reasoning is new or controversial
Argument is unfamiliar
Resist claim because they just don’t want it to be true

6. Test Your Warrant Convince reader to accept warrant first
When children manifest behavior arising not from teaching or modeling, but spontaneously, that behavior is genetically based.warrant Homosexuality must therefore have a strong genetic componentclaim because . . .reason

7. Test Your Warrant
Readers will challenge your warrant most when they resist your claims
Anticipate the objection
Ask
Is that warrant true and appropriately limited?
Does it apply to the reason and claim?
Is it appropriate and persuasive for the readers of this argument?
Figure 2
Figure 3

8. Testing Other’s Warrants
Ask: How would other readers defend the warrant you challenge?
The population of Zackland must be controlledclaim because it is outstripping its resources and heading for disaster.reason When a population grows beyond its resources, only a reduction in population will save the country from collapse.warrant

9. Economic analysis:
When countries A, B, and C exceeded their means, each collapsed. They tried to prevent collapse by every means other than population control, but it did no good.reason When societies reach a point where their population exceeds their resources, the only way they can prevent collapse is to reduce their population.claim/warrant

10. Religious belief:
It doesn’t make any difference what the economic consequences might be; it is immoral to discourage married couples from having children.claim When people are advised to defy God’s will as revealed in our holy books, that advice is sinful.warrant

11. Cultural conditioning:
Whenever we put our minds to a problem of limited resources, we can solve it.