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Claims of Cause

Types of Claims

Types of Causal Arguments

Typically, causal arguments try to show how one event brings about another.

Arguments about causes and consequences have important stakes because they shape our view of reality and influence government policies or individual decisions.

Definitional Claims

The main task of a causal argument is to establish a causal hypothesis by distinguishing causally related events from mere correlations.

Questions for Claims of Cause

  • What caused it?
  • Where did it come from?
  • Why did it happen?
  • What are the effects?
  • What will probably be the results over the short and the long term?

Examples of Claims of Cause

  • Because of Amazonian deforestation, carbon dioxide levels have reached a new high in the Southern hemisphere.
  • The widespread prescription of antidepressants is directly responsible for an increase in teen suicide rates.
  • The popularity of Barbie among grade-school-aged girls has contributed to the unrealistic standards for beauty and thinness among teen girls and young women.

Claims that believe that a particular person, thing, act, or phenomenon should be identified with a certain category

Having a clear idea of the type of claim or proposition you wish to make will help to frame your argument.

Knowing what type of argument you are trying to craft will also help you narrow down research and choose specific, effective support for your essays.

We will discuss two types of claims: Definitional & Causal

  • Speculations about possible causes
  • Arguments for an unexpected or surprising cause
  • Predictions of consequences

These arguments are particularly powerful in that they help determine what something or someone is. Thus, they can result in inclusion or exclusion.

Questions for 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

Examples of Claims of Definition:

  • The lottery is really a tax on the poor.
  • The sign language used by Kanzi, the chimpanzee, represents a real language.
  • Nicotine is not a dangerous drug.
  • The practice of training and racing two-year old thoroughbreds (which do not mature until age four) is a kind of animal abuse.

Example of Causal Arguments

Consequences Resulting from Categorical Claims

By categorizing things, you ask your readers to adopt that category's perspective.

The Rule of Justice

The Rule of Justice suggests that things in the same category should be treated the same way.

Example: Gay Marriage. "All people should be able to marry whomever they wish to. Love is love"

This type of argument is what allows us to draw a connection between current gay rights activists and the Civil Rights movement of the 60s.

Definition Arguments

Definition arguments occur whenever we disagree about the boundaries of a category.

Example of a Definition Issue: In a divorce preceding, is a frozen embryo a "person" rather than "property"

Criteria part: What criteria must be met for something to be a "person"

Match Part: Does a frozen embryo meet that criteria?

Types of Argument - Part 1

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