Types of Claims

1. Types of Claims

2. Cornell Notes, please!  Topic: Types of Claims Essential Question: What are the types of claims and how are they used in argument?

3. What is a claim? • Claims form the basis of any argument. • Claims are always arguable. • A good claim is arguable, precise, and clear!  • Categorizing claims helps us understand the purposes and special features of argument. • Allows us to predict and anticipate features of the type of argument presented.

4. Claims and Thesis Statements • Every thesis statement will make a claim about your topic. • Every thesis statement is a claim, but not every claim is a thesis. • An argument has one controlling thesis, but might have several claims that support that thesis. • Understanding the types of claims you can make will lead to more focused and effective thesis statements. • It will also help you understand the rhetorical situation of a given argument.

5. Claims of Fact • Claims of fact argue that something is or is not true. • A claim of fact might help answer the questions… • Did it happen? • It is true? • Does it exist? • Is it a fact? • Claims of fact are supported by… • Facts • Examples • Analogies– comparisons • Expert opinion

6. Claims of fact: Uses in argument… • Claims of fact might be used… • In a court case when determining whether or not a crime was committed • My client is not guilty of bank robbery. • When determining an issue that could lead to policy changes. • The opioid crisis will lead to the deaths of millions of Americans.

7. Claims of fact: Cautions • Claims of fact can run into problems when we make the assumption that all facts are arguable. • To an extent, this is true, however it is important to consider our audience, their belief systems, and their understanding of the world before we make a claim of fact. • For instance, it is generally taken as fact that eating vegetables improves individuals’ health. • Hence, this is not a claim of fact, but just a fact.

8. Claims of value • Claims of value argue that something is good/bad, right/wrong, moral/immoral. • Claims of value try to place a value on an object, idea, person, event, etc.

9. Claims of Value • Claims of value answer… • Is it good or bad? • How bad? • How good? • Of what worth is it? • Is it moral or immoral? • What values or criteria should I use to determine its goodness or badness?

10. Claims of Value • Are supported by… • Appeals to values • Therefore, it is important when making a claim of value that the speaker know the values and beliefs of their audience. • Motivational appeals • Analogies • Literal • Figurative • Quotations from authorities • Definitions

11. Claims of value • Claims of value are used in arguments to help inform decision making, reinforce values, or convince you that something is right/wrong, best/worst. • Citizen Kane is the greatest movie of all time. • Stealing Halloween candy from your siblings is wrong! • Claims of value are hard to prove definitively (or with research) because they depend on the personal values of the person you are arguing to. • However, when you can establish commonly agreed upon criteria to determine right/wrong and good/bad, arguing claims of value becomes easier, but still depends on the commonly agreed upon criteria.

12. Claims of policy • Claims of policy argue that something should or should not happen. • While this can actually relate to policy/law, it can also relate to personal policies, outcomes, etc. • For instance, if you argue that somebody should buy a certain car, you are making a claim of policy.

13. Claims of Policy • Claims of policy answer… • What should we do? • How should we act? • What should future policy be? • How can we solve this problem? • What concrete course of action should we pursue to solve the problem? • Claims of policy tend to focus on the future

14. Claims of Policy • Types of support • Data • Statistics • Moral and commonsense appeals • Motivational appeals • Appeals to values • Literal analogies • Argument from authority • Definition • Deduction

15. Claims of policy: examples • Students should not be able to leave campus to go eat lunch. • Congress needs to work more cooperatively. • You should be more social!