Good Arguments

The more we dive into the topic of making a good, solid, argument in writing, the more my perspective changes on what it means for an argument to be "good." First and foremost, I have come to the realization that convincing a reader is only a very small aspect of creating a solid argument.

In high school, we were taught to find facts that backed up our point, and use them to convince our reader. Then we would move on to address one point of the opposition. Now I see how extremely limited, and narrow-minded this idea is when it comes to entering an academic conversation. The idea in our readings that differs from high school so greatly, is the fact that we must really focus on being ethical within our argumentation. Instead of writing to simply convince someone, we should really focus on, and acknowledge other valid points of view that present themselves within our argument. It is more important to really inform people and add accuracy to a conversation rather than to choose a side and claim that anything else is wrong. As we read in Finding the Good Argument OR Why Bother With Logic, we realize that we have been taught to argue in a defensive, battle like way. To create an argument outside of this mindset would greatly expand our writing and ability to argue effectively.

Finally, I really love the idea of the good balance of logos, pathos, and ethos as a check in argumentative writing. It helps me understand each piece of my argument and how I can further develop it with facts, emotions, and through establishing my own credibility. One thing that I am still hung up on when it comes to the vocabulary we have been looking at is epistemology. I am not quite sure how to evaluate and articulate how people seem to "know what they know," in writing and in our conversations as a whole.

Academic Writing

In order to enter an academic conversation as a writer, one must fully understand the task that they are undertaking. Indeed, one should not begin with one broad and overreaching topic. Instead they should add to the "conversation," that other researches and writers have initiated in the past. This could occur in many ways. One may choose to view a topic that is being discussed from a new lens, or dive deeper and pinpoint an area of the discussion that one believes needs expanding.

First, it is important that the writer begins by addressing the part of the academic conversation that sparked their interest to join. One must somewhat restate the idea that is being responded to, and then identify how they feel about it. This may include but is not limited to whether or not the author responding agrees, disagrees, or is on the fence about the original idea, and why. Then they can continue to state their new ideas and how they connect to the former conversation.

One of the most important things to remember during this process is the audience that is being addressed. It is important for example, that if one is addressing people who are already knowledgeable in the subject that they do not over simplify things and come off as a know-it-all. On the other hand, if the writer tends to be over their audience's head when it comes to knowledge and vocabulary, they may lose interest quickly. One must always know who they are trying to talk to, and not just what content but how content needs to be presented.

Finally, in order for the piece that an author is working on to be successful they must narrow their topic. Although the idea may begin from something that can be described  "in a few words," it may eventually take a sentence to really pinpoint what the author is attempting to do. It is important to use nouns deriving from verbs, that will get you a step closer to a claim rather than a broad statement. If one can cover all of these basis, they are a step closer to being an academic writer.