Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Developing your argument

How can I support my thesis statement?
- Choose reasons
- Select evidence to support your reasons
- Decide how to appeal to your readers
    - Appeals to authority
    - Appeals to emotion
    - Appeals to principles, values and beliefs
    - Appeals to character
    - Appeals to logic
How can I asses the integrity of my argument?
- Check for fallacies based on distraction
    - A red Herring
    - Ad hominem attacks
    - Irrelevant history
- Look for fallacies based on questionable assumptions
    - Sweeping generalizations
    - Straw man attacks
    - Citing inappropriate authorities
    - Jumping on a bandwagon
- Search for fallacies based on misinterpretation
    - Stacking the deck
    - Base rate fallacies
    - Questionable analogies
- Locate Fallacies based on careless reasoning
    - Post hoc fallacies
    - Slippery slope arguments
    - Either/or arguments
    - Non sequiturs
    - Circular reasoning

I do not understand why, in the deciding how to appeal to your readers section, there is not an appeal to factual information section. Logic is not necessarily information. I would like to appeal to scientific evidence to support my argument as well as appeals to authority ect.
This chapter seems as if it would be best used to analyze my sources information, and for editing my actual paper to make sure I stayed on track. I do not need this information to develop my argument, however, I may need it to ensure that I stayed on track while I am editing my paper.