Everything's an Argument

This chapter explores the following questions:

• What is an argument?
• What are the types of arguments?
• What are the types of audiences?
• How does a speaker appeal to an audience?

Chapter 1 opens with examples of political arguments that played out on social media to establish that any expression acts as an argument, from tweets to clothing to greetings. Some arguments are nuanced or inherent, while obvious arguments incorporate claims based upon evidence in order to persuade.

Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz want to counter negative connotations associated with argumentation and to shift attitudes from seeing the primary goal of any argument as winning to an opportunity for solution-focused discussion. They recognize that the purpose of some arguments is to win, starting their exploration of types of arguments.

The first type of argument discussed is meant to convince and inform. Arguments meant to convince differ from those that persuade in that the former asks the audience to accept the argument to be true while the latter moves past acceptance into action. Most arguments aiming to inform present facts to broaden awareness.

Arguments meant to persuade must be more moving than an argument meant to convince. While many persuasive arguments rely on emotional appeal, the most persuasive arguments use all three rhetorical appeals: to emotion, to logic, and to authority.