Claims vs Arguments
INTRODUCTION
In this essay, I will discuss on the difference between claims and arguments, and how to support an argument.
BODY
Claims is defined as, “a statement asserts something to be the case or not the case” (Critical Thinking: Issues, Claims, Arguments, 2011), which is consistent with the definition given by Wood (2012,Topic 1,p.7), which states that a claim is an assertion or demand for recognition of a truth, an example of a claim is “Organizational behavior is an essential subject”. And I agreed with the two definitions on claims because, based on my personal experience as a former team member of my college’s debate team, everyone is allowed to make claims over the subject that was chosen to be debated.
On the other hand, an argument is defined as, “sets of propositions (claims/statements) which contain premises that are offered to support the truth of a conclusion” (May,2010), or in another words, it means “trying to convince each other on things we don’t agree on” (Critical Thinking: Issues, Claims, Arguments, 2011). Using the above example, others may not agree on my claim and say “Organization Behavior is not an essential subject”, this is where an argument begins and to support it, there are 3 ways to do so, supporting an argument with authority, evidence and a persuasive writing style.
Supporting an argument with authority means, “To bolster an argument is to use the word of an expert”, (Roberts, 2010). However, there are pros and cons to this statement, the pros are because he/she is an expert, and has been in his area of speciality for many years, therefore, his/her words can be reliable and can be used to support an argument. But not forgetting that the words he/she said could be based on his/her personal opinion and could contain certain level of biasness. For example, “Organisational Behaviour is an essential subject” because my lecturers said so, this may not be convincing enough.
To further “enhance” your argument, it
In this essay, I will discuss on the difference between claims and arguments, and how to support an argument.
BODY
Claims is defined as, “a statement asserts something to be the case or not the case” (Critical Thinking: Issues, Claims, Arguments, 2011), which is consistent with the definition given by Wood (2012,Topic 1,p.7), which states that a claim is an assertion or demand for recognition of a truth, an example of a claim is “Organizational behavior is an essential subject”. And I agreed with the two definitions on claims because, based on my personal experience as a former team member of my college’s debate team, everyone is allowed to make claims over the subject that was chosen to be debated.
On the other hand, an argument is defined as, “sets of propositions (claims/statements) which contain premises that are offered to support the truth of a conclusion” (May,2010), or in another words, it means “trying to convince each other on things we don’t agree on” (Critical Thinking: Issues, Claims, Arguments, 2011). Using the above example, others may not agree on my claim and say “Organization Behavior is not an essential subject”, this is where an argument begins and to support it, there are 3 ways to do so, supporting an argument with authority, evidence and a persuasive writing style.
Supporting an argument with authority means, “To bolster an argument is to use the word of an expert”, (Roberts, 2010). However, there are pros and cons to this statement, the pros are because he/she is an expert, and has been in his area of speciality for many years, therefore, his/her words can be reliable and can be used to support an argument. But not forgetting that the words he/she said could be based on his/her personal opinion and could contain certain level of biasness. For example, “Organisational Behaviour is an essential subject” because my lecturers said so, this may not be convincing enough.
To further “enhance” your argument, it