CLAIMS OF FACT
At some point, most arguments come down to what is or is not true. Arguments of fact attempt to establish whether or not a specific ‘truth claim’ happens to be valid.
Overview:
An argument of fact is basically a claim about what is or is not the case in the real world. While some claims of fact take on meaning outside of this, few of them are academic arguments. Many times, claims of fact need to go beyond what can be directly observed; academic claims of fact deal with inference and conclusion—they tend to involve a lot of analysis of evidence.
In order to argue a claim of fact, the writer needs to have access both to evidence and to clear definitions of all of the terms that might be used in the argument. For example, an argument about the population of the United States would need to establish who is and who is not to be included in that number, as well as what forms of estimation and sampling are acceptable. After all, simply going around and counting people is not practical.
Most of the time, arguments of fact come down to matters of ethos. In other words, we are more likely to accept the support given for fact claims if we trust the source of that support.
Application:
Even if the paper is not primarily about claims of fact, college writers need to remember that facts are up for discussion. Some directly observable phenomena (the color of the sky, the presence of chairs in a classroom) are functionally settled, but for most other issues, facts are debatable. It is the student writer’s responsibility to suggest why one version of the truth is preferable to another.
Note that the ability to debate facts does not mean that the facts themselves are malleable. The earth is not actually a flat plate with four corners, no matter how much some people might ‘argue’ that this is the case.
What to Avoid:
Student writers need to avoid making sweeping generalizations and assuming that they are true (reference). Additionally, they also need to be careful when making claims of fact that they are not constructing a circular argument. For example, a claim is true because Source A says it is. I know Source A is right because it is never wrong. I know Source A is never wrong because Person B told me so. Person B knows Source A is never wrong because s/he read it in Source A. This argument proves nothing, except that Person B really trusts Source A.
Additionally, student writers need to avoid the two most common ‘traps’ of academic fact claims. The first mistake is too assume that all facts are matters of opinion (remember, no amount of opinion will cause gravity to turn off, so be careful where you test your opinion that you can fly!). Another mistake is to argue clearly demonstrable facts with those that are unwilling to consider contradictory evidence. In virtually every discussion, there is a small portion of a potential audience that will not listen to any evidence that contradicts their own position. Such close-minded potential readers should be handled carefully, but should not be allowed to dictate the terms of the entire argument.
At some point, most arguments come down to what is or is not true. Arguments of fact attempt to establish whether or not a specific ‘truth claim’ happens to be valid.
Overview:
An argument of fact is basically a claim about what is or is not the case in the real world. While some claims of fact take on meaning outside of this, few of them are academic arguments. Many times, claims of fact need to go beyond what can be directly observed; academic claims of fact deal with inference and conclusion—they tend to involve a lot of analysis of evidence.
In order to argue a claim of fact, the writer needs to have access both to evidence and to clear definitions of all of the terms that might be used in the argument. For example, an argument about the population of the United States would need to establish who is and who is not to be included in that number, as well as what forms of estimation and sampling are acceptable. After all, simply going around and counting people is not practical.
Most of the time, arguments of fact come down to matters of ethos. In other words, we are more likely to accept the support given for fact claims if we trust the source of that support.
Application:
Even if the paper is not primarily about claims of fact, college writers need to remember that facts are up for discussion. Some directly observable phenomena (the color of the sky, the presence of chairs in a classroom) are functionally settled, but for most other issues, facts are debatable. It is the student writer’s responsibility to suggest why one version of the truth is preferable to another.
Note that the ability to debate facts does not mean that the facts themselves are malleable. The earth is not actually a flat plate with four corners, no matter how much some people might ‘argue’ that this is the case.
What to Avoid:
Student writers need to avoid making sweeping generalizations and assuming that they are true (reference). Additionally, they also need to be careful when making claims of fact that they are not constructing a circular argument. For example, a claim is true because Source A says it is. I know Source A is right because it is never wrong. I know Source A is never wrong because Person B told me so. Person B knows Source A is never wrong because s/he read it in Source A. This argument proves nothing, except that Person B really trusts Source A.
Additionally, student writers need to avoid the two most common ‘traps’ of academic fact claims. The first mistake is too assume that all facts are matters of opinion (remember, no amount of opinion will cause gravity to turn off, so be careful where you test your opinion that you can fly!). Another mistake is to argue clearly demonstrable facts with those that are unwilling to consider contradictory evidence. In virtually every discussion, there is a small portion of a potential audience that will not listen to any evidence that contradicts their own position. Such close-minded potential readers should be handled carefully, but should not be allowed to dictate the terms of the entire argument.
