The Kingdom Come

Arguments aren't simply disagreements, but propositions. An argument is any point that is being made. It need not be a negative or hostile point.

I recently re-read a little book by Anthony Weston called, A Rulebook for Arguments. It appears he published the first edition in 1986. I have the third edition published in 2000.

The book is short; a mere 85 pages but it is packed full of useful examples of proper argumentation. Weston breaks those examples down into 30 "rules". Those rules are as follows:

1. Distinguish premises and conclusion.
2. Present your ideas in a natural order.
3. Start from reliable premises.
4. Be concrete and concise.
5. Avoid loaded language.
6. Use consistent terms.
7. Stick to one meaning for each term.
8. Give more than one example.
9. Use representative examples.
10. Background information is crucial.
11. Consider counterexamples.
12. Analogy requires a relevantly similar example.
13. Sources should be cited.
14. Seek informed sources.
15. Seek impartial sources.
16. Cross-check sources.
17. Personal attacks do not disqualify a source
18. Explain how cause leads to effect
19. Propose most likely cause.
20. Correlated events are not necessarily related.
21. Correlated events may have a common cause.
22. Either of the two correlated events may cause the other.
23. Causes may be complex.
24. Modus Ponens (mode of putting).
25. Modus Tollens (mode of taking).
26. Hypothetical syllogism.
27. Disjunctive syllogism.
28. Dilemma.
29. Reductio at absurdum.
30. Deductive arguments in several steps.

Following these rules is good advice whether you are trying to make a deep theological or philosophical point or you are making a sales pitch at work.

Further adding to Weston's rules; I suggest you take a look at a list of fallacies. Fallacies, simply put are ways of argumentation that are often subjective or loaded, thus often a less "logical" way to argue. I often find a few particular opponents using the Social Conformance fallacy against me. :-) I think they just want me to shut up. Here is a list of common fallacies.

• Accent: Emphasis that changes the meaning of the
  sentence.
• Accident: A general rule used to explain a
  specific case not covered by it.
• Affirming the Consequent: If A then
  B. B is true, so A is true.
• Amphiboly: A sentence has two different
  meanings.
• Appeal to Authority: Referencing an
  'expert'.
• Appeal to Common Belief: If others believe
  it to be true, it must be true.
• Appeal to Common Practice: If others do
  it, it must be ok to do it too.
• Appeal to Fear: Gaining compliance through
  threat.
• Appeal to
  Flattery: Make them feel good.
• Appeal to Emotion: If it feels good, it
  must be true.
• Appeal to Novelty: Newer is better.
• Appeal to Pity: Going for the sympathy vote.
• Appeal to Ridicule: Mocking the other
  person's claim.
• Appeal to Tradition: It has always been
  done this way, so this way is right.
• Argument from Ignorance: Accepting
  circumstantial evidence.
• Assertion: What I say is true.
• Attack the Person:
  Distracting them from their argument.
• Begging the Question: Circular
  reasoning to prove assumed premise.
• Complex Question: two questions, one
  answer allowed.
• Composition: Generalizing from a few to the
  whole set.
• Conspiracy Theory: Reframe refutation
  as further proof.
• Denying the Antecedent: If A then B.
  A is false, so B is false.
• Division: Assuming the parts have the
  characteristics of the whole.
• Equivocation: A single word with more than
  one meaning.
• Excluded Middle: Only extreme views are
  valid.
• False Analogy: X has property Y. Z is like
  X. So Z has property Y.
• False Cause: A causes B (but no proof).
• False Compromise: Extreme views are
  wrong. The middle way is right.
• False Effect: A is assumed to cause B. B is
  proven wrong, so A is wrong.
• False Dilemma: Choice is A or B. Rejecting
  A is selecting B.
• Four Terms: All A is B. All C is D. So all A
  is D.
• Gambler's Fallacy: Chance can be
  predicted.
• Hasty Generalization: Generalizing
  from too-small a sample.
• Illicit Major: All X is Y. No P (which is a subset of Y) is X. Therefore no P is Y.
• Illicit Minor: All X are Y. All X are P.
  Therefore all P are Y.
• In a Certain Respect and Simply:
  Extending assumed boundaries too far.
• Insignificance: Making a minor cause seem
  major.
• Many Questions: overloading them with
  lots of questions.
• Missing the Point: Drawing the wrong
  conclusion.
• Personal Inconsistency: Past
  words or deeds do not match claim.
• Poisoning the Well: Discrediting the
  person before they speak.
• Post Hoc: X follows Y. Therefore X is caused by
  Y.
• Red Herring: Distracting with an
  irrelevancy.
• Reification: Treating a concept as
  concrete reality.
• Repetition: Repeating something makes it more
  true.
• Slippery Slope: Loosely connected statements
  with ridiculous conclusion.
• Social Conformance: Agree with me or
  be socially isolated.
• Strawman: Attack a weak argument used by the
  other person.
• Style over Substance: An attractive
  presentation makes it more right.
• Undistributed Middle: All A is B.
  All C is B. Therefore all C is A.
• Unrepresentative Sample: What is
  true about any sample is also true about the population.
• Wishful Thinking: A is true because I
  want it to be true.