The Opposing Side

1. The Opposing Side

2. Why Should I Present the Opposing Side? • Strengthens your credibility • Knowledgeable • Fair • Interested in finding the truth • Addresses the reader’s objections • Can help fuel your argument

3. What are Opposing Arguments? • Arguments against a claim, evidence, or explanation. • (Explanation: interpretation of evidence or explanation of how evidence proves claim). Degrees of Opposition Completely Agrees Partially (Dis)agrees Disagrees • Practice: Argue against this claim, evidence, and explanation. • College students should participate in athletics. • 80% of college athletes earn above a 2.5 GPA. • Therefore, being involved in athletics helps students become academically successful.

4. How Can I Find Opposing Arguments? Identify the Most Important Opposing Arguments • Start with the opposing arguments that first come to mind. • Consider your audience and the opposing side—Who are they? What do they believe? What do they want? Why? Identify More Subtle Opposing Arguments • Find other opposing arguments by identifying your claims, evidence, and explanations. • Ask yourself, how might a reasonable person argue against this? • Try negating or partially negating your claims, evidence, and explanations. • Think of counterexamples. Check your opposing arguments by asking, “Would a reasonable person argue this?”

5. Tips • Don’t just list multiple counterarguments. Consider a few of the most relevant counterarguments in some depth.

6. How Should I Address Opposing Arguments? • Two Ways: • Prevent Opposing Arguments • Add enough details and explanations so the reader doesn’t have any objections • Present and Respond to Opposing Arguments • Introduce opposing arguments and respond to them • Although opponents may believe X… • Proponents of this bill argue Y because of Z; however… How will you decide which approach to use?

7. How Should I Present the Opposing Side? • Be specific and provide the reasons for their claims • Be brief—don’t emphasize or support their points too much • Be fair—take counterarguments seriously; do not belittle them • Respondimmediately to opposing arguments

8. How Should I Respond to the Opposing Side? • Concede, BUT show why the audience should accept your argument anyway. • Partially refutethe counterargument—“yes, sometimes…” and show why the audience should accept your argument. • Completely refuteit— show why the counterargument is mistaken.

9. What if I Can’t Refute Opposing Arguments? Qualify or change your claim! Be open-minded 

10. Where Should the Counterargument Go? The Intro: The Last Body P: The First Body P: Every Body P: When would you use each of these?

11. An Example… • Hybrid cars are an effective strategy to fight pollution. • Internal combustion engines cause a great deal of air pollution. Driving a private car is a typical citizen's most air polluting activity. • Hybrid cars combine a gasoline engine with a battery-powered electric motor, which means that less pollution is produced. • Cars generally have a long lifespan, meaning that a decision to switch to a hybrid car will make a long-term impact on pollution levels. • Hybrid cars are an effective strategy to fight pollution.

12. Practice: Dialogue • Review your main point and supporting points. • Write a dialogue between you and your opposing side. • What will you argue? • How will they respond? …

13. Chart • Claim/evidence  Counter claim/evidence  Response/refutation • In-class essay on the opposing side