Analyzing Arguments

How to Diagram an Argument

Step 1: Underline and number each claim.
Do not include indicator words. Consider circling or highlighting them.
Remember that more than one claim can appear in a single sentence.
If a claim is repeated, assign it the same number each time.
If a conclusion is unstated, write the claim underneath the passage and
assign it a number.
Step 2: Pay attention to indicator words.
Break down the passage into smaller, more manageable parts.
Step 3: Identify the main conclusion of the argument.
Place the main conclusion at the bottom of the diagram.
Do not confuse an intermediate conclusion with the main conclusion.
How to Diagram an Argument
Step 4: Identify the premise(s) that support the main conclusion.
Place the premise(s) above the conclusion.
For convergent premises, place an arrow from each premise to the
conclusion. Linked premises should be underlined and connected with a
+ with a single arrow from them to the conclusion
Step 5: Diagram any subarguments.
Look for claims that support any premise of the main argument.
Step 6: Check your work.
Conrm that all claims relevant to the argument have been
diagrammed.
Present the argument aloud to yourself and listen for errors.
Example
The Galaxy Corporation wants to build a casino in St.
Louis, but we should not allow it to be built. First,
gambling is immoral, since gambling is motivated by
greed, and greed is an immoral desire. Second,
communities with casinos have higher crime rates. This
is because casinos attract people who take risks, and
risktakers are more likely to break the law. Finally,
studies show that people living within 10 miles of a
casino have a 90% increased risk of becoming
pathological gamblers; thus, casinos encourage
psychological problems for the people who live near
them. For all these reasons, the proposed casino should
be opposed.
Example
+ +

Example

Example
We should not allow the Galaxy Casino to be built in
St. Louis because gambling is immoral. We should
not allow the Galaxy Casino to be built in St. Louis
because communities with casinos have higher crime
rates. We should not allow the Galaxy Casino to be
built in St. Louis because casinos encourage
psychological problems for the people that live near
them
Example
Alice should be found not guilty, because Alice did not rob the Key West
Convenience Store at 10:00 P.M. on August 9. In the rst place, she had no
motive. Certainly she did not need money: Her parents are quite wealthy, and her
personal checking account contained over $8,000 on the day of the robbery.
Furthermore, such a crime would be completely out of character for the
defendant. She is a gentle, nonviolent individual. Her character is shown by the
testimony of her biology professor (who spoke of her adamant refusal to harm a
frog in her biology laboratory), the testimony of the director of Meals-on-Wheels
(who testied that she hadfor over 3 yearsbeen a dedicated volunteer for
their program of providing hot meals to the elderly and disabled), and by the
testimony of three of her friends (who noted that she is ercely opposed to
rearms, refused to even hold a pistol shown her by a friend, and refuses on
principle to attend violent movies). This is not the sort of person who takes a
pistol into a convenience store and robs it at gunpoint. And nally, Alice could not
have been the robber because she was not in Key West when the crime was
committed. She could not have been in Key West, because at 9:30 P.M. on August
9 she was in Miami, and there is no way to get from Miami to Key West in half an
hour. Theres no doubt she was in Miami at the time, for a professor at the
University of Miami testied that he talked with Alice at 9:30 P.M. on the night of
August 9 while waiting in line to get popcorn at a movie theatre in Miami. And he
could not have been mistaken, because he recognized her from two seminars she
had taken with him at the university. Also, the usher at the theatre remembered
seeing her there.
Example
Alice had no motive for the robbery
Alice did not need money
Alices parents are wealthy
$8000 in Alices account

Armed robbery is out of character

Defendant is gentle and non-violent
Volunteer
Testimony of director
Frog
Testimony of professor
Firearm
Testimony of friends
Example
Alice was not in Key West at the time of the robbery
Alice was in Miami just prior to the time of the robbery
Professor saw Alice in Miami
Professor recognized Alice from class
Usher saw Alice in Miami
Miami is more than half an hour from Key West
Analyzing Longer Arguments
Paraphrasing
Accurate
Clear
Concise
Charitable
Principle of Charitable Interpretation: When more than one interpretation of
an argument is possible, the argument should be interpreted so that the premises
provide the strongest support for the conclusion.
Cigarette smoking causes lung cancer. Therefore, if you continue to smoke, you are
endangering your health.
Cigarette smoking invariably produces lung cancer. Therefore, if you continue to
smoke, you are endangering your health.
Cigarette smoking is a causal factor that greatly increases the risk of getting lung
cancer. Therefore, if you continue to smoke, you are endangering your health.
Standardizing Longer Arguments
1. Read through the argument carefully and try to identify its main conclusion (it may be only
implied). Once you have identied the main conclusion, go back through the argument to
identify major premises and subconclusions offered in support of the main conclusion.
Paraphrase as needed to clarify meaning.
2. Omit any unnecessary or irrelevant material. Focus only on the key points in the
argument. Omit any statements that provide little or no direct support for the main
conclusion.
3. Number the steps in the argument and stack them in correct logical order (i.e., with the
premises placed above the conclusions they are intended to support). State the main
conclusion last.
4. Fill in any key missing premises or conclusions. Dont worry about lling in all missing
steps in the argument. Include only those missing premises or conclusions that are important
in understanding and evaluating the central argument. Place brackets around implied
statements to indicate that they have been added to the argument.
5. Add parenthetical justications for each conclusion in the argument. In other words, for
each conclusion or subconclusion, indicate in parentheses from which previous lines in the
argument the conclusion or subconclusion is claimed to directly follow.
 Mistakes to avoid
Dont write incomplete sentences.
Dont include more than one statement per line.
Dont include anything that is not a statement.
Dont include anything that is not a premise or a
conclusion.