How to Write an Argumentative Text

Philosophy carries out its critical task by addressing all forms of knowledge and
practices that frame its historical and cultural registration. Philosophical criticism
reviewed as a universal and radical character, but also proceeds methodically and
systematically, taking advantage of a set of provisions and resources
conceptual elements that give identity and specificity.

The main task of Logic is to find out how the truth of a

a certain proposition is connected with the truth of another. In logic
Typically, related groups of propositions are worked with.
propositions are declarative expressions of the informational language from which they are
it makes sense to manifest truth or falsehood.
The argument is the content used to demonstrate that which is
affirm or deny something. It is a set of several propositions linked with
subordination links, and perhaps coordination, that one of them may assume
inferred from the others that are assumed as a guarantee of acceptability. The objective
The purpose of the argument is to prove a debatable conclusion.

Cicero defined argumentation as 'the discourse through which reasons are presented'
tests to give credit, authority, and basis to our proposition.

An argument is a special form of inference. Copi tells us that: 'To each

a possible inference corresponds to an argument (...) An argument can be inferred
like any group of propositions or statements of which it is affirmed
that there is one that follows from the others considering these as the basis of
the truth of that one.
What distinguishes an argument from a reasoning? They frequently appear
like synonyms, but not all reasoning is argument. They differ.
for its scope of influence. One reasons to oneself; one argues for the
others. We reason before we argue and our argument aims to express what
better del reasoning.

An argument, then, is the external manifestation of a reasoning, its

social projection, a tool of persuasion. We argue so that the
ideas can be shared. The conclusion is justified in comprehensible terms
and persuasive for others. From reasoning to an argument, the same mediates.
the distance from a thought to its oral expression. Although often
they are used as synonyms, as it can be seen, they are different things. An argument is a
series of statements that individually or collectively provide evidence of another
demonstration.

Argumentation and communication are closely related: they

communicates to inform something and this presentation can be argued for
convince and persuade of a proposal. Both can be presented in a way
independent.
The ways to present an argument can be: a) deductive or analytical: of
from the general to the concrete. The thesis is presented at the beginning and then,
they offer supporting arguments; b) inductive or synthetic: It begins with the
datos y argumentos y se coloca la tesis o conclusión al final; es decir, de una
a series of considerations leads to a final idea; c) parallel: aims to
to manifest in a chained manner indisputable ideas (true or false), that do not
they are subordinate to one another by their content, it does not demonstrate hypotheses nor draws
conclusions; an example of this way is presented as follows, 'the
young people seek answers in philosophy, but it turns out that each answer raises
new questions. Whoever experiences this will be a scholar of philosophy for
all his life.

The term argumentation, widely used in recent times, refers to the action
in which an argument is employed. Professor Stephen Toulmin points out that
The total activity of raising claims, questioning them,
backing them up by producing reasons, criticizing those reasons, refuting them
criticisms, etc. ... The sequence of claims and intertwined reasons that, among
they establish the content and the strength of the proposition in favor of which
argues a certain speaker; ...human interactions through the
which are formulated, debated and/or turned around such sections of
reasoning.

Argumentation and exposition are closely related: it is exposed

to inform and this presentation can be argued to convince and persuade
any proposal. Both can be presented independently.

The ability to argue is a defining trait of being human that is

linguistically develops. Since its origins, philosophy has been concerned with
Hello, studying the different types of discourse that literature uses, the
politics or science, but also trying to create a formalized language
that clarifies the reasoning of the ambiguities and imprecisions to which with
frequency is subject to the rhetoric of natural language. This path is that of the
logic, investigate how the structure of thought relates to the
reality

When discussing arguments, the following can be considered: 1) dialectical proofs in

those that attempt to refute an opponent or convince them of the truth of the
opinion held by the arguer. 2) as reasoning aimed at
everything to convincing or persuasion.

It is important to learn to distinguish arguments from mere groups of

propositions that do not meet the necessary requirements to speak of
arguments. These consist of groups of propositions in which there are some
that act as premises which, by virtue of logical inference, justify another
proposition that we call conclusion.
To decide whether one is faced with an argument or not, one will simply appeal to the
common sense and an analysis of the text on which one must decide,
focusing on the following aspects:

1. Does the text have a conclusion? If so, what is it?

2. Does the text provide reasons that support the conclusion? That is, are there premises? Yes
is it that way? what are they?
3. Does the text presume that there is a relationship between premises and conclusions? Does it
Does this infer those?

A text argumentative it is of:

1. Thesis. It is the fundamental idea around which reflection occurs; it can appear.
At the beginning or at the end of the text. It must be presented clearly and objectively. It can be
to encompass several ideas.
2. Body. Unfold the idea or ideas that are intended to be demonstrated from two
perspectives: a defense one (arguments are being offered for
confirm it) of them, and another of rebuttal against foreseeable objections that
It could make the opponent. The first one must not be missing.
3. Conclusion. The demonstration reflects on the topic from all the
angles, until reaching the desired objective, which is presented as a conclusion to
sometimes announced at the beginning of the writing. It can be presented in various forms:
Affirming the main idea. The developed content assumes the rank of
thesis because it explains the problem or the phenomena that are addressed in an idea
general.
As a suggestive proposal. This type of conclusion is distinguished because the
written, although it summarizes the essential idea of the presentation, does not reach
to finalize your reasoning or to complete your information. They are recorded
suggestions for future work, opening paths to other perspectives
before putting a final point to the text itself.
What distinguishes an argument from a mere collection of propositions is the
inference that is supposed to connect them. To infer (imply) is to derive a
consequence or deduce something from another reality, from a known truth it passes to
another unknown one.

Decalogue for writing an argumentative text.

any form of communication.

1. Clearly determine what the central idea of the 'text' is that will be
to support
2. Define the recipient to whom it is addressed. The use of technical jargon is common.
corresponding to the discipline that the text deals with, which forces to
consider and clarify the meaning of the terms used.
3. Any claim must be supported by a series of arguments, for
We will have to search for all possible arguments in favor of the thesis.
4. Take into consideration the opinions, beliefs, and values of the recipient
to choose those arguments that can best convince you and dismiss the others.
remaining.
5. Possible objections from the opponent to these arguments must be foreseen.
Irony makes an evidently false statement seem true and serious; it has
in order to reproach something to the interlocutor, or to make them a participant of the mockery or
author's indignation.
A good introduction to make the process meaningful contributes to
capturing the approval of the other. Understanding makes any form of possible.
knowledge.
7. The order of the arguments is an essential factor. In benefit of it, we
they will avoid digressions, which could hinder understanding. The
the strongest arguments should be included at the end.
8. The conclusion must have strength and interest to gain the satisfaction of the
auditorium.
9. Use language appropriately, concisely, and clearly, without renouncing to the
help that literary resources can provide. It is undoubted that a text
properly fragmented into paragraphs is more easily interpreted and
assimilated as an indivisible text.
10. If the presentation is oral, it is advisable to memorize the text in general.
to produce a good impression of security in the listeners.

Argumentative techniques

Cause/effect relationship.
2. Citations or arguments from authority.
3. Proverbs.
4. Maxims.
5. Examples.
6. Fables.

The RULES of a CRITICAL DISCUSSION.

The parties should not impede each other when presenting points of view or
to put them in doubt.
A side that presents a point of view is obliged to defend it if the
another part asks you to do it.
3. "The attack of one side against a point of view must refer to the
point of view that has really been presented by the other party.
A party can only defend its point of view by presenting a
argumentation that is related to that point of view.
A party cannot falsely present something as if it were a premise.
implicitly left by the other party, nor can deny a premise that he himself has
left implicit.
A party cannot falsely present a premise as if it were a
point of acceptance, nor can it deny a premise that represents a point of view
accepted.
A part cannot consider that a point of view has been defended
conclusively if the defense has not been carried out through a
appropriate argumentative scheme that has been applied correctly.
8. "In their argumentation, the parties can only use arguments that are
logically valid or that can be validated by specifying one or
more implicit premises.
A failed defense of a viewpoint should result in that
the party that presented it retracts from it and a conclusive defense must have
as a result, the other party retracts their doubts about the point of
view.
The parties should not use formulations that result in insufficiently
clear or confusingly ambiguous and must interpret the formulations of the
the opposing party as carefully and as exactly as possible.
Argumentation, communication, and fallacies. A pragma-dialectical perspective.
Frans Van Esmeren and Rob Grootendodrst, Santiago de Chile, Ed. of the Catholic University.
from Chile.

The Argumentative Text

The argumentative text aims to express opinions or rebut them with

the end of persuading a recipient. The author's purpose may be to prove or
to demonstrate an idea (or thesis), to refute the opposing one, or to persuade or dissuade
receptor about certain behaviors, facts, or ideas.

Argumentation, as important as it is, usually does not occur in its pure state, it tends to
combine with the exhibition. While the exhibition is limited to showing, the
argumentation attempts to demonstrate, convince, or change ideas. For this reason, in a
argumentative text in addition to the apelative function present in the development of
the arguments, the referential function appears in the part where it is outlined
the thesis.

Argumentation is used in a wide variety of texts, especially in

scientific, philosophical, in the essay, in political and judicial oratory, in the
opinion journalistic texts and in some advertising messages. In the language
oral, in addition to appearing frequently in everyday conversation (although
(with little rigor), it is the dominant form in debates, colloquia, or panels.
round.

ORGANIZATIONAL PROCEDURES
The argumentative text usually organizes the content into three sections:
introducción, desarrollo o cuerpo argumentativo, y conclusión.

The INTRODUCTION usually starts with a brief exposition (called 'introduction or

framing in which the arguer tries to capture the attention of the recipient
and awaken a favorable attitude in him. The introduction is followed by the thesis, which is
the idea around which one reflects. It can be constituted by a single idea
or for a set of them.

DEVELOPMENT. The elements that make up the argumentative body are

denominators, tests, inferences, or arguments and are used to support the thesis or
refute it.

According to the communicative situation, a distinction is made between:

MONOLOGUE STRUCTURE: The voice of a single subject organizes the entirety of

argumentative text. It is the case of the researcher who values the success of a
discovery at a conference.

DIALOGUED STRUCTURE: The proposal, the refutation or the justification and the
conclusion develops over successive replicas. This is the case of the
debates in which controversy is likely to arise, the issuing of judgments
passionate, the disqualifications and the ironies.

According to the order of the components, several modes are distinguished.

reasoning:

The DEDUCTION (or analytical structure) starts with the thesis and ends in the
conclusion.

INDUCTION (or synthetic structure) follows the inverse procedure, that is,
the thesis is presented at the end, after the arguments.

At the same time, the arguments used can be of different types:

Rational arguments: They are based on ideas and truths accepted and acknowledged by
the set of society.

Factual arguments: They are based on verifiable evidence.

Exemplification arguments: They are based on concrete examples.

Arguments from authority: They are based on the opinion of a recognized person.
prestige.
Arguments that appeal to feelings. With these arguments, the intention is to
flattery, awaken compassion, tenderness, hatred…

The CONCLUSION. It is the final part and contains a summary of what has been presented (the thesis
and the main arguments).

DISCURSIVE PROCEDURES

These are procedures that are not exclusive to argumentation rather

They are shared by other modes of textual organization, such as exposition.
They stand out:

THE DEFINITION. In argumentation, it is used to explain the meaning of

conceptos. En ocasiones, se utiliza para demostrar los conocimientos que tiene el
arguer

The COMPARISON (or analogy) serves to illustrate and make it more understandable.
explained. Many times it helps to bring certain concepts closer to the common reader.

CITATIONS are reproductions of statements issued by experts. They have the

the objective of giving authenticity to the content. Quotes are used as
arguments from authority.

The CUMULATIVE ENUMERATION consists of providing several arguments in a series.

It serves an intensifying function.

The EXEMPLIFICATION is based on providing concrete examples to support the thesis.

The examples can be the result of individual experience.

The INTERROGATION is used for various purposes: to provoke, to doubt a

argument, check the recipient's knowledge...

LINGUISTIC PROCEDURES

The paragraph is the channel that serves to distribute the different steps.
(presentation, analysis or arguments and conclusion) contained in the
written argumentation.

Among the elements of textual cohesion that relate the contents

distributed in the different paragraphs, three stand out: lexical repetition or
conceptualen torno al tema y losmarcadores discursivosque permiten seguir
the process of analysis or argumentation and they inform about the moment of the conclusion.

If the text belongs to the scientific field (legal, humanities...), it is abundant in

lexical technicalities. If it is a more general topic or of a more subjective approach,
A predominantly standard lexicon is usually used.

Example of argumentative text

Filed Under Language, Types of text

Argumentative texts

They are a type of texts in which arguments in favor or against are presented.
against a term in order to convince the interlocutor.

This type of text is often found in essays and criticism in general. Examples
Typical argumentative texts are usually political speeches or articles.
opinion.

Ejemplo de texto argumentativo

BIOFUELS

Automobiles are the main causes of the greenhouse effect or climate change.
climatic, but since it is very difficult to reduce its use, biofuels are
having an unprecedented boom as viable alternative fuels more
sustainable than petroleum derivatives. Among these new options are
find ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol); or bio-
ethanol, to distinguish it from synthetic alcohol, is obtained from crude oil, gas or
carbon.

Bioethanol is mainly produced from products rich in sucrose such as

sugar cane, molasses, and sweet sorghum, following a similar procedure
all the beer: the starches are converted into sugars, the sugars are
they are converted by fermentation into ethanol, which is then distilled in its form
final. It can also be produced from starch-rich sources such as
cereals (corn, wheat, barley, etc.) and tubers (cassava, sweet potato, potato), although
con un proceso más caro y complejo. La producción de bioetanol podría incluso
to be made from raw materials rich in cellulose, such as waste
agricultural and forestry. However, the conversion of cellulose into sugars
fermentables is an even more complex and costly process that makes the
obtaining ethanol from waste may not be profitable for now.

Currently, the production of bioethanol from crops rich in sucrose and

starch shows unprecedented development. And it is that the product presents
clear advantages: it is clean and renewable; it helps reduce carbon emissions
and allows to conserve (and not depend on) fossil fuel reserves; it is
cheap when produced efficiently; it is versatile and can replace the
gasoline in cars with engines adapted for more than one type of
combustible or mixes with gasoline in conventional engines (Brazil, for
for example, it is used as 'hydro-alcohol' - 95% ethanol - or as an additive of the
gasoline – 24% ethanol.

However, bioethanol has an important and silent social cost: the

propagation of monocultures to the detriment of production for the
human nutrition. As Acción Ecológica explains well: 'Although it is possible to'
obtain biofuels from some native products to solve the
local energy problems, the issue is the scale. To meet the
global energy needs and effectively impact the reduction of
global warming would require millions of hectares of agricultural land and
the incorporation of so many others at the expense of natural ecosystems, which
would affect the food sovereignty of the peoples.

But perhaps it is clearer to quote the analysis of Lester Brown, Director of

Earth Policy Institute at Columbia University, and founder of
WorldWatchInstitute: "to fill the tank of a 25-gallon car with
bioethanol, a sufficient amount of grains is needed to feed a
person for one year. To fill that tank for two weeks, one could
feed 26 people for a year.

The complicated situation that European countries find themselves in, in their eagerness to comply with their

obligations under the Kyoto Protocol, are committed to changing their

energy systems based on fossil fuels, for biofuels; but their
production cannot keep up with demand and they have seen in biofuels a possibility of
to continue maintaining their lifestyle without increasing their gas emissions
greenhouses. However, in Europe there is not enough land for the
production of the amount of biofuels that is needed, which has been
proposed the importation of the same.

And although the United States has enough farmland, the consumption of
energy is so high that they will also need to import. Where are they going to
come these biofuels? Well, from regions like Latin America, Asia, and Africa
-just those that have a greater need for food.

The expansion of the use of bioethanol implies that in the poorest countries the
lands of agricultural vocation that are currently used for production of
food should be used for the production of crops for production of
fuels. As Lester describes
Brown, "we are facing competition among the 800 million
drivers who want to protect their mobility and the 2 billion people
poorest in the world who want to survive.
Fuente

Declarative sentences

Declarative sentences are the type of sentences that we use the most.
frequency when expressing ourselves through verbal language.

In addition to being assertive, they are also known as declarative sentences.

Declarative sentences have a fundamentally informative intent.

and they are the ones that deny or affirm something.

Based on this, there are two classes of declarative sentences: sentences

affirmative and negative sentences.