{"id":112934,"date":"2013-01-03T23:58:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-03T23:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rockcontent.com\/?p=112934"},"modified":"2025-09-15T13:43:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T16:43:05","slug":"positive-arguments-and-negative-arguments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pingback.com\/en\/resources\/positive-arguments-and-negative-arguments\/","title":{"rendered":"Positive Arguments and Negative Arguments"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Making a good argument is something that every writer needs to know how to do. Though it may not always be necessary when working as a content writer for websites<\/a>, it is a skill that every writer should possess.<\/p>\n

Virtually everyone knows how to argue. It is a part of life. Most arguments are not particularly volatile, since they tend to arise between people who are simply advocating different points of view on a subject without a definitively right or wrong answer. Think of a conversation about the best rock band. An argument will almost always ensue because people use different criteria when establishing an opinion on the matter. Some may use nothing more than the band\u2019s technical expertise; some may use nothing more than the number of albums the band has sold; some may use a combination of criteria. When one seeks to establish such a position, one is making a positive argument.<\/p>\n

Positive Arguments<\/strong><\/p>\n

A positive argument is one in favor of your position. Typically, an argument will consist of two people making their own positive arguments to establish their positions. One could make the following case:<\/p>\n

1. The band who wrote the most number-one singles is the best band.<\/p>\n

2. The Beatles wrote the most number-one singles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

C. The Beatles are the best band.<\/p>\n

This argument states the criterion for what makes the best band: the one that wrote the most number-one singles. It also identifies the band that did this as the Beatles. The argument then correctly deduces that the Beatles are the best band.<\/p>\n

Another person could present a different case:<\/p>\n

1. The band with the mot top-ten albums is the best band.<\/p>\n

2. The Rolling Stones have had the most top-ten albums<\/a>.<\/p>\n

C. The Rolling Stones are the best band.<\/p>\n

This argument uses a different criterion for establishing what makes the best band, identifies the band to have done this, and then deduces what the best band is.<\/p>\n

Sometimes folks get a little too fixated on their own measuring sticks, though. You\u2019ll see people dig in their heels, clutching their definition of \u201cthe best\u201d as if it were passed down from on high instead of being one of a thousand possible takes. What\u2019s missing, ironically, is recognizing that most arguments\u2014outside of math class, maybe\u2014don\u2019t actually get settled; they\u2019re about how we decide what matters most. It\u2019s an odd thing, how heated these discussions can get when the only thing really at stake is whether you\u2019ll budge on your own list of priorities. No chart number or ticket sale ever seems quite enough to put these debates to rest.<\/p>\n

Before you get too swept up, it\u2019s worth pausing to consider if an argument needs to be \u201cwon\u201d at all. Take that \u201cbest band\u201d example\u2014sure, stacking up album sales or trophy counts makes for a tidy debate, but isn\u2019t the better question what a band means to you? Sometimes the only person you need to convince is yourself. Everyone else is just riffing along for the ride, and honestly, that kind of conversation is more interesting anyway. Facts can settle black-and-white questions, but when taste or value is on the line, maybe it\u2019s the debate that matters more than the conclusion.<\/p>\n

Negative Arguments<\/strong><\/p>\n

A negative argument is an argument against your opponent\u2019s position. In the blogosphere, these usually tend to simply contradict another person\u2019s conclusion (\u201cThe Beatles aren\u2019t the best band because they suck\u201d), but this is not an effective strategy. You\u2019re not going to convince anyone that you\u2019re right unless they already agree with you. This is because you\u2019re not attacking the premises of the argument.<\/p>\n

Making an effective negative argument requires that you advance a position that contradicts one of your opponent\u2019s premises. You can do this by denying that the criterion used by your opponent is rational (\u201cthe number of top-ten albums a band has isn\u2019t relevant when considering whether they are the best or not\u201d) or you can state that her facts are incorrect (\u201cthe Rolling Stones did not have the most top-ten albums\u201d).<\/p>\n

It is important to remember that an effective negative argument will deny the soundness of their argument as opposed to just stating the opposite of their conclusion. Furthermore, when making positive arguments, it is important to have a reasonable explanation as to why you have decided upon your criteria, and even more important to make sure that what you present as fact is indeed true. If you do not, you will leave your position exposed to numerous negative arguments that can devastate your position.<\/p>\n

}}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Making a good argument is something that every writer needs to know how to do. Though it may not always be necessary when working as a content writer for websites, it is a skill that every writer should possess. Virtually everyone knows how to argue. It is a part of life. Most arguments are not particularly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":112935,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[117],"class_list":["post-112934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing","tag-migrationwa"],"yoast_head":"\nPositive Arguments and Negative Arguments - Pingback<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pingback.com\/en\/resources\/positive-arguments-and-negative-arguments\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"pt_BR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Positive Arguments and Negative Arguments - Pingback\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Making a good argument is something that every writer needs to know how to do. 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