Analyzing Arguments

Arguments and Subarguments

• Frequently, a passage has multiple arguments because there are one
or more subarguments.
• A subargument is an argument whose premise(s) provide support for a
premise of another argument.
• In these cases, the conclusion of the subargument is a premise of the main
argument.
• I studied more than 10 hours for my final exam, thus I should do well
on it. Consequently, my semester grade will be up to passing level.
Arguments and Subarguments
• ➀ I studied more than 10 hours for my final exam, thus ➁ I should do
well on it.
•➀

•➁
• Consequently, ➂ my semester grade will be up to passing level.
•?

•➂
Arguments and Subarguments
• ➀ I studied more than 10 hours for my final exam, thus ➁ I should do
well on it. Consequently, ➂ my semester grade will be up to passing
level.
•➀

•➁

•➂
How to Diagram an Argument
• Step 1: Underline and number each claim.
• Do not include indicator words. Consider circling or highlighting them.
• Remember that more than one claim can appear in a single sentence.
• If a claim is repeated, assign it the same number each time.
• If a conclusion is unstated, write the claim underneath the passage and
assign it a number.
• Step 2: Pay attention to indicator words.
• Break down the passage into smaller, more manageable parts.
• Step 3: Identify the main conclusion of the argument.
• Place the main conclusion at the bottom of the diagram.
• Do not confuse an intermediate conclusion with the main conclusion.
How to Diagram an Argument
• Step 4: Identify the premise(s) that support the main conclusion.
• Place the premise(s) above the conclusion.
• For convergent premises, place an arrow from each premise to the
conclusion. Linked premises should be underlined and connected with a “+”
with a single arrow from them to the conclusion
• Step 5: Diagram any subarguments.
• Look for claims that support any premise of the main argument.
• Step 6: Check your work.
• Confirm that all claims relevant to the argument have been diagrammed.
• Present the argument aloud to yourself and listen for errors.
Example
• The Galaxy Corporation wants to build a casino in St. Louis, but we
should not allow it to be built. First, gambling is immoral, since
gambling is motivated by greed, and greed is an immoral desire.
Second, communities with casinos have higher crime rates. This is
because casinos attract people who take risks, and risktakers are
more likely to break the law. Finally, studies show that people living
within 10 miles of a casino have a 90% increased risk of becoming
pathological gamblers; thus, casinos encourage psychological
problems for the people who live near them. For all these reasons,
the proposed casino should be opposed.
Example…
• ➃ +➄ ➆ +➇ ➈

➂ ➅ ➉

•?

•➁
Example…
•➂ ➅ ➉

• ➁
Example…
• ➁ We should not allow the Galaxy Casino to be built in St. Louis
because ➂ gambling is immoral. ➁ We should not allow the Galaxy
Casino to be built in St. Louis because ➅ communities with casinos
have higher crime rates. ➁ We should not allow the Galaxy Casino to
be built in St. Louis because ➉ casinos encourage psychological
problems for the people that live near them
• Alice should be found not guilty, because Alice did not rob the Key West Convenience
Store at 10:00 P.M. on August 9. In the first place, she had no motive. Certainly she
did not need money: Her parents are quite wealthy, and her personal checking
account contained over $8,000 on the day of the robbery. Furthermore, such a crime
would be completely out of character for the defendant. She is a gentle, nonviolent
individual. Her character is shown by the testimony of her biology professor (who
spoke of her adamant refusal to harm a frog in her biology laboratory), the testimony
of the director of Meals-on-Wheels (who testified that she had—for over 3 years—
been a dedicated volunteer for their program of providing hot meals to the elderly
and disabled), and by the testimony of three of her friends (who noted that she is
fiercely opposed to firearms, refused to even hold a pistol shown her by a friend, and
refuses on principle to attend violent movies). This is not the sort of person who
takes a pistol into a convenience store and robs it at gunpoint. And finally, Alice could
not have been the robber because she was not in Key West when the crime was
committed. She could not have been in Key West, because at 9:30 P.M. on August 9
she was in Miami, and there is no way to get from Miami to Key West in half an hour.
There’s no doubt she was in Miami at the time, for a professor at the University of
Miami testified that he talked with Alice at 9:30 P.M. on the night of August 9 while
waiting in line to get popcorn at a movie theatre in Miami. And he could not have
been mistaken, because he recognized her from two seminars she had taken with him
at the university. Also, the usher at the theatre remembered seeing her there.
Example…
• Alice had no motive for the robbery
• Alice did not need money
• Alice’s parents are wealthy
• $8000 in Alice’s account

• Armed robbery is out of character

• Defendant is gentle and non-violent
• Volunteer
• Testimony of director
• Refused to harm a frog
• Testimony of professor
• Opposes firearms and violence
• Testimony of friends
Example…
• Alice was not in Key West at the time of the robbery
• Alice was in Miami just prior to the time of the robbery
• Professor saw Alice in Miami
• Professor recognized Alice from class
• Usher saw Alice in Miami
• Miami is more than half an hour from Key West