Sample Argumentsto be Toulminized

Identify the claim, grounds, and warrant for each argument

Argument #1

Volatility in the stock market will probably persist for the foreseeable future. In a global economy, changing circumstances anywhere in the world can create uncertainty.

The Toulminized version

• Claim: value/judgment volatility in the stock market will probably persist for the foreseeable future.

• Grounds: In a global economy, changing circumstances anywhere in the world can create uncertainty.

• Warrant: cause-effectcause-effect reasoning;reasoning; political and economic uncertainties elsewhere produce fluctuations in stock values in the U.S.

• Qualifier: probably

Argument #2

The U.N. Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International both claim conditions at camp X-Ray amount to torture, therefore the United States should close the prison and either release or formally charge all the detainees being held there.

The Toulminized version

• Claim: policy The United States should close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and either release or formally charge all the detainees being held there

• Grounds: The U.N. Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International both claim conditions at the camp amount to torture.

• Warrant: argument by authority;argument by authority; the Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International are credibly, trustworthy organizations.

Argument #3

• I am now convinced that we are perilously close to the end of civilization. William Shatner sold his kidney stone on EBay for $25,000.

The Toulminized version

• Claim: value/judgment I am now convinced that we are perilously close to the end of civilization.

• Grounds: William Shatner sold his kidney stone on EBay for $25,000.

• Warrant: Argument by example;Argument by example; absurd acts like selling body parts on Ebay illustrate that our civilization is teetering on the edge.

• Note: this wouldn’t be a serious argument

Argument # 4

• “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” Kanye West

The Toulminized version

• Claim: value/judgment George Bush doesn’t care about black people.

• Grounds: FEMA’s response to hurricane Katrina was intentionally slow

• Warrant: cause-effect cause-effect the reason the federal government didn’t respond faster is because most of the victims were black.

Argument #5

• Gay couples should not be allowed to marry legally. The Bible says “Adam and Eve” not “Adam and Steve.”

The Toulminized version

• Claim: policy Gay couples should be legally permitted to marry.

• Grounds: The Bible says so• Warrant: AuthorityAuthority:

scripture condemns homosexuality

Argument #6

• Ronald Reagan’s likeness should be chiseled onto Mt. Rushmore, alongside Washington, Jefferson Lincoln and Roosevelt. Polls show Americans rank him with John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln as one of the greatest presidents of all time.

The Toulminized version

• Claim: policy Ronald Reagan’s likeness should be chiseled onto Mt. Rushmore.

• Grounds: Polls show Americans rank him with JFK and Lincoln as one of the greatest presidents of all time.

• Warrant: value assumption;value assumption; public popularity is the basis for determining whose face belongs on Mt. Rushmore.

Argument #7

How do you know WWE wrestling is fake? I’ll tell you how. You never see the results printed in the Sports section of the newspaper.

The Toulminized version

• Claim: factual claim WWE wrestling is fake.

• Grounds: The results are never reported in the Sports section of the newspaper.

• Warrant: argument from authority & argument from authority & sign reasoning;sign reasoning; authority; newspapers only print the results of legitimate sports. sign; newspaper coverage is a reliable sign of a genuine sport

Argument #8

Conservatives may not like it, but citizens have a Constitutional right to burn the American flag. Flag burning is a symbolic, political act and it is precisely such unpopular, offensive symbolic acts that the 1st amendment was designed to protect.

The Toulminized version

• Claim: value/judgment Conservatives may not like it, but citizens do have a Constitutional right to burn the American flag.

• Grounds: Flag burning is a symbolic, political act and it is precisely such unpopular, offensive symbolic acts that the 1st amendment was designed to protect.

• Warrant: value premise;value premise; Not only words, but symbolic acts, such as flag burning, are encompassed within the scope of the 1st amendment.

Argument #9

Herbal remedies may do more harm than good in some cases. People with serious health problems may delay or forego needed medical care because they are relying on herbal remedies

St. John’s Wort

The Toulminized version

• Claim: value/judgment Herbal remedies may do more harm than good.

• Grounds: People with serious health problems may delay or forego needed medical care because they are relying on herbal medicines.

• Warrant: cause-effect reasoning;cause-effect reasoning; the effect of relying on herbal remedies is to postpone needed medical care

• Qualifier: in some cases