"Freedom of speech is established to achieve its essential

purpose only when different opinions are expounded in the

same hall to the same audience...The opposition is
indispensable."
What exactly is Argumentation?

Defining Argumentation

Think back to the last argument you had with someone. It

was probably a passionate exchange of upsetting words.
Generally, people in this kind of situation leave the
conversation frustrated, upset, and with nothing
accomplished; neither of the arguers resolved the issue.
Often times, however, if either of the arguers took some
time to plan out what they were going to say--in the same
way that a writer would plan how her/his argument paper
would be addressed--the argumentative discussion would be
more effective.
When writers construct arguments, they try to avoid
emotional outbursts that often turn arguments into displays
of temper. Strong feelings may energize an argumentfew of
us make the effort to argue without emotional investment in
the subjectbut written argument stresses a fair
presentation of opposing or alternative arguments. Because
written arguments are public, they take on a civilized
manner. They implicitly say, Lets be reasonable about this.
Lets look at the evidence on all sides. Before we argue for
our position, lets put all the reasons and evidence on the
table so everyone involved can see whats at stake.
(Excerpts taken from The Prentice Hall Guide for College
Writers, A Custom Edition, by Stephen Reid)

Writers who Construct Good Arguments Remember

to...

consciously decide the rhetorical situation or writing

occasion. This means that writers:
o
o

o
o

look at the social or cultural context for the issue,

consider where this written argument might appear
or be published,
look at the audience and asks what they already
know and believe,
consider the audience's alterative viewpoint, and
consider the audience's neutral viewpoint and
wonder if they are likely to listen to both sides
before deciding what to believe.