Types of Claims: Establishing Purpose and Organization

[Pages:33]Types of Claims: Establishing Purpose and Organization

Claims of Fact Claims of Definition Claims of Cause Claims of Value Claims of Policy

Five Types of Claims

Claims of Fact Claims of Definition Claims of Cause Claims of Value Claims of Policy

Virtually all arguments can be categorized according to one of five types of claims.

Claims can be identified by discovering the question the argument answers.

As we browse the types, notice how the questions all invite different purposes and different points of view.

They all lead to argument.

Claims of Fact:

Did it happen? Does it exist? Is it true? Is it a fact?

Fact Claim

When you insist a paper was turned in on time even if the professor cannot find it, or that you were not exceeding the speed limit when a police officer claims that you were, you are making claims of fact.

Fact Claims

These are central to court room debate since lawyers argue about what happened in order to prove innocence or guilt.

Historians also argue about what happened as they sort through historical evidence to try to establish historical fact.

Fact Claims:

Women are as effective as men in combat. The ozone layer is becoming depleted. Increasing population threatens the

environment. Bigfoot exists in remote areas. Men need women to civilize them.

Fact Claims

Note that all these claims are statements of fact, but not everyone would agree with them.

They are all controversial. The facts in these claims need to be proved

as either absolutely or probably true in order to be acceptable to an audience.

Claims of Definition:

What is it? How should we define it? What is it like? How should it be classified? How should we interpret it? How does its usual meaning change in a

particular context?

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