GENERAL RULES FOR SHORT ARGUMENTS
1. Distinguish between premises and conclusion: “[T]he conclusion is the
statement for which you are giving reasons. The statements which give your
reasons are called ‘premises.’”
2. Present your ideas in a natural order: “Put the conclusion first, followed by your
reasons, or set out your premises first and draw the conclusion at the end. In
any case, set out your ideas in an order that unfolds your line of thought most
naturally for the reader.”
3. Start from reliable premises: “No matter how well you argue from premises to
conclusion, your conclusion will be weak if your premises are weak. . . If you are
not sure about the reliability of a premise, you may need to do some research,
and/or give a short argument for the premise itself.”
4. Use definite, specific, concrete language: “Write concretely: avoid abstract,
vague, general terms. ‘We hiked for hours in the sun’ is a hundred times better
than ‘It was an extended period of laborious exertion.’”
5. Avoid loaded language: “Do not make your argument look good by
caricaturing the opposing side. Generally people advocate a position for
serious and sincere reasons. Try to figure out their view, even if you think they
are dead wrong. . . In general, avoid language whose only function is to sway
the emotions of your readers or hearers, either for or against the view you are
discussing.”
6. Use consistent terms: “Stick to a single set of terms for each idea. . . Consistent
terms are especially important when your argument depends on the
connections between the premises.”
7. Stick to one meaning for each term: “The opposite temptation is to use a single
word in more than one sense. This is the classical fallacy of ‘equivocation.’
Anthony Weston, A Rulebook for Arguments
Hackett Publishing Company, Indianapolis/Cambridge, 1992.
