The big idea
🧱
Evidence is not an argument
A claim plus a pile of evidence, with the reasoning left implicit, is half an argument — and usually the weak half is what’s missing.
Communication & Argumentation · Lesson 1
Constructing Logical Arguments
beginner⏱ 17 min · 7 cards
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Name the Parts
“We should trial a four-day week for the engineering team.”
Break this argument into its parts: "We should trial a four-day week for engineering."
Separate claim, evidence, and the hidden warrant.
Key term
Where arguments are attacked
What connects evidence to a claim?
tap to reveal ↻
The warrant
The general principle licensing the move from this evidence to this claim. Usually unstated, and usually where the argument is weakest. Saying it out loud exposes the assumption — which is exactly the point.
Compare
Two claims under fire
Absolute
"This always works"
Tap.
tap for example ↻
Qualified
"This works in these conditions"
Tap.
tap for example ↻
And address the strongest counterargument before it is raised — it cannot then be used against you.
Nuance
When it will not land
Maester Note
The problem is rarely too little evidence. It is usually that the warrant — why the evidence bears on the claim — is weak or unstated, and the audience cannot accept a connection they cannot see.
Quick check
What are the three parts of an argument, and which is most often omitted?
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