Argument+as+Inquiry

“Is it possible in America today to convince anyone of anything he [or she] doesn’t already believe?”
 * __Argument as Inquiry: Part I__**

“How can arguers participate in a ‘mingling of the minds’ and use argument productively to seek answers to problems?”

Oral, visual, print, hypertext arguments = antagonistic sound bites or talking points
 * To position ourselves as inquirers as well as persuaders:**
 * engage thoughtfully with alternate points of view
 * truly listen to other perspectives
 * examine own values and assumptions
 * PERHAPS change views
 * Thinker’s goal:**
 * live with questions
 * acknowledge uncertainty and complexity
 * resist settling for simple or quick answers


 * __Finding Issues to Explore__**
 * curiosity
 * confusion
 * concern

Inventory of communities to which you belong
 * Brainstorm** (pg. 26)

Controversy within those communities

Narrow list of problematic issues

List of related issues

(remember “relax, relax, relax” and “I’m stuck”)
 * Exploring Ideas by Freewriting**—writing on issue nonstop (pg. 29)

Place “trigger idea” in center of circle and ideas in branches and subbranches
 * Exploring Ideas by Idea Mapping (pg. 29)**

First, write as if you are wholly sympathetic to the idea. Suspend disbelief Find/list reasons to believe
 * Believing and Doubting Game (pg. 30)**

Then, write as a judgmental or critical reading. Find best counterexamples and inconsistencies

(consult chart on pg. 33)
 * __Consider the Rhetorical Context__**
 * Evaluate the genre and source**—do the writers/speakers/publishers have a hidden or overt agenda?