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思辨精英：英语辩论-构筑全球视角 [:1705132515]
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20.1 Supporting a Main Claim with a Series of Sub-Claims
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Frequently, a debater will need to make a main claim that is supported by a series of sub-claims. The extent to which sub-claims are combined into a coherent whole is indicative of the overall strength of the argument and its persuasiveness. Developing one or more solid patterns for combining sub-claims into a primary claim is useful. A debater who has a pattern for combining sub-claims into the main claim can learn quickly to use that pattern to construct a series of sub-claims that will be and appear to be coherent with one another.
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思辨精英：英语辩论-构筑全球视角 [:1705132516]
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20.2 A Pattern for Combining Sub-Claims to Support a Primary Claim
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This chapter will describe a pattern that fulfills that goal. It is not the only pattern that has ever been developed, nor is it one that everyone will determine to be the best. It is, however, one pattern that has proven useful to many people. The recommendation of this text is that students learn the described pattern for combining arguments coherently, then, as they become more advanced, they may decide to alter or to change the pattern completely. Students who learn the pattern initially will find that changing the parts of the pattern that may not work for them is easier and better than trying to develop their own pattern from scratch. The main point is that the pattern developed in this chapter is one that can be used as it is, or, after some practice, can be revised to suit debaters as they develop their own voice.
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The general pattern that will be described in this chapter consists of combining three sub-claims into a primary claim. Ordinarily, the sub-claims should be developed in the order mentioned, but sometimes their order can be changed. The pattern is most useful for combining a series of sub-claims into a primary claim that will be used to support either a value motion or a policy motion. In general, the three sub-claims consist of: an argument of definition or description, an argument of association, and an argument of evaluation. As will be seen later, the pattern is simple and straightforward. At other times, it can be modified to support more complex positions. The remainder of the chapter will show how combinations of these particular kinds of sub-claims can be used to support both value and policy motions. The diagram below illustrates the basic model:
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思辨精英：英语辩论-构筑全球视角 [:1705132517]
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20.2.1 Sub-Claim One: Description or Definition
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The first sub-claim of the basic pattern usually consists of an argument of description or definition. The point of the first sub-claim is to clearly indicate what is going to be evaluated. The debater needs to describe very clearly some features or components of the object to be evaluated. To accomplish that step, the debater needs to think of the myriad of features about the object, then decide which of those are most relevant to the way the debater would like to evaluate that object. Thus, the features that are to be described are those that are most related to the evaluation. For instance, if the object to be evaluated is a person such as Gandhi, the debater probably would not describe his physical features unless those physical features were salient to the upcoming evaluation. Probably, the debater would describe Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence because that is the feature for which he is perhaps best known and the feature for which he is seen in the most positive light. Sometimes, the identifications of such features can be indicated by a definitional argument. The examples that follow will use both descriptive and definitional arguments to explain the process.
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思辨精英：英语辩论-构筑全球视角 [:1705132518]
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20.2.2 Sub-Claim Two: Association
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After describing the relevant features of the object to be evaluated, the debater then proceeds to the second sub-claim of the pattern, drawing an association between the feature or features and some value, principle, or consequence. The association is frequently a cause and effect association, but might be an association of similarity or some other kind of association. In other words, an association needs to be created between the feature of the object and value, principle, or consequence by which it is evaluated. The examples that follow will illustrate both associations of causality and of similarity.
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思辨精英：英语辩论-构筑全球视角 [:1705132519]
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20.2.3 Sub-Claim Three: Evaluation
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Having described or defined a feature of the object to be evaluated and the means by which it is to be evaluated (causality, similarity, etc.), the debater then creates a third sub-claim to make the evaluation explicit. The evaluation begins with the link between the object and the value, principle, or consequence, however, that evaluation may not be explicit. For instance, the value by which some policy is evaluated might not be as clear or vivid in the mind of the audience as it is to the debater. Explicitly addressing the value is an opportunity to provide greater power to the value. For instance, a debater might claim that a certain policy proposal enhances the value of free choice. Most reasonable people in the audience probably accept the notion that free choice is a positive good, but the concept might not be present in their consciousness. Free choice might not be a concept to which they are giving much attention. Creating a third sub-claim that specifically evaluates the consequence, value, or principle from the second sub-claim provides an opportunity for a debater to increase the evaluative power of that value.
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思辨精英：英语辩论-构筑全球视角 [:1705132520]
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20.2.4 The General Pattern: Describe, Associate, Evaluate
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So, in summary, a general pattern that can be used to create a case for an evaluative proposition includes: 1) describing a feature of the object to be evaluated; 2) associating the object to be evaluated to some value, principle, or consequence; and 3) explicitly evaluating that value, principle, or consequence. In the following examples, the general pattern will be slightly modified to meet the demands of specific situations. The remainder of the chapter will consider various examples of how that general pattern might be implemented in different situations.
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思辨精英：英语辩论-构筑全球视角 [:1705132521]
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20.3 Using the General Pattern to Create Arguments
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The chapter will use four basic examples: 1) combining sub-claims to support a primary claim of value using consequences, 2) combining sub-claims to support a primary claim of policy using consequences, 3) combining sub-claims to support a primary claim of a value using principles, and 4) combining sub-claims to support a primary claim of policy using principles. The examples used in this chapter will mirror those used in the previous chapter about consequences and principles. This chapter will provide a very basic outline of the examples so that students can understand the basic pattern of combining arguments.
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Before moving to the examples, one further comment needs to be made. The initial examples provided here are about how to combine arguments to support a position. The same basic pattern can be used to combine arguments to oppose a motion. Careful readers will recall that several examples illustrated in Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 used this basic describe, associate, evaluate pattern.
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20.3.1 Supporting a Primary Claim of Value Using Consequences
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Before presenting a specific example, consider the structure of the basic pattern for creating an argument from consequence to support a value claim. The basic pattern is diagramed in the following illustration:
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