Oh The Places We Go: Topics of Invention in a Digital World

Topics = topoi = place

Topics of Invention = places to find things

Commonplaces = loci communes

"As therefore the discovery of those things which are hidden is easy, if the place where they are hidden is pointed out and clearly marked; so, when we wish to examine any argument, we ought to know the topics,--for so they are called by Aristotle, being, as it were, seats from which arguments are derived."

-Cicero, De Topica

Oh, the Places We Go!

Topics of Invention in a Digital World

Argument City

Most bookstores have lots of categories--a science fiction

section, a young adult section, a travel section, etc. You

put books (or ideas or viewpoints or issues) next to each

other, and then find meaning by exploring how they are

similar.

When you go to a hospital, the doctor tries to figure out

what your main injury is--whether it's a stroke a heart problem

or broken bones. The doctor needs to address the essence of

the problem first, and not the "accidents" or smaller, perhaps

related, but less crucial things like bruises and scratches.

It seems easy to categorize something--that's a red fish, that's a blue fish.

But defining can be a powerful tool--for example, it will make a

world of difference if you define abortion as murder or as a woman's

right to make decisions about her own body.

Comparison by degree

Division of whole into parts

Comparison by difference

Bookstore categories -

Comparison by similarities

At the playground -

Definition by class/category

In buying a diamond there are four C's to consider: cut, clarity, colour, and carat. You're still

buying a diamond, but you can buy one with with greater or lesser weight (carats) or one that is

flawless or has blemisions. In diamonds, as in many topics, it can be useful to compare by degrees

within the same category.

Division into essence and accidents

Just like the butcher divides a cow into parts, you can divide

an issue into pieces--whether there's 3 counterarguments to

address, 4 types of people who do something, etc.

Like in an antique shop, where the differences are apparent, you can make the differences

apparent in whatever you're arguing about--either when comparing aspects of an issue or

viewpoints on it.

main street

The Topics of Invention

places you can go to find an argument

The Library

Precedents

Researchers, including scientists, find statistics about almost

anything. We trust stats if they're presented well and come

from a good source, though sometimes we find them shady.

Just like we value witnesses in the court of law, we value

testimonies, personal examples, and particular stories,

within argument.

For example,

Home is where the

heart is

OR

A penny saved is a

penny earned.

Maxims can't be the

end-all of your

argument, but they

tend to latch onto

the values and shared

assumptions of a

society.

The fork in the road

Contradictions

There's a fork on the road, and you've got an

either-or option. You can't take both. The same

goes for contradictions in an issue--it can be

either one or the other.

Authority

Cause and effect

Antecedent and consequence

We value authorities, whether it's the president's opinion on something or that of

an expert in the field. By finding out what the authorities say, and appealing to

them in your argument, you can sway people to your side.

Because you got in a car accident, you go to the car repair shop. The car accident is

the cause, the effect is the bill and the need for repair. Anytime you can establish

causation it will build your argument, showing why something is in its current state, or the effects certain policies may cause.

One of the consequences of exercising regularly is being healthy and physically fit. Being physically

fit reduces the risk of certain health problems like heart attacks.

Looking at the consequences of something can help us fight for or against it, by considering the

effects in both the short and long term.

The Witness Stand

Testimonial

The Science Lab

Statistics

The library is one place where we often go to find precedents: what

results certain choices have caused in the past, what the Supreme

Court ruled as constitutional on a particular case, what one teacher

may have found as a solution to deal with a particular student problem.

Though they can be challenged, we often accept precedents as a basis

to start from.

Old lady on the street giving wisdom

Maxims

center street

We often find next door neighbors--things related but not necessarily causally connected--that seem to be contraries to each other.

Highlighting these contraries (or discovering what these contraries are) can be a powerful, argumentative tool. It can be useful to

consider how one thing might be creating certain positives, but also contributing to certain negatives.

Next door neighbors: the Bank and the soup kitchen

Contraries

by Katherine Cowley

Thomas Cole, "Niagara Falls," 1830