32 Analyzing Claims (i.e., Toulmin Method)

Philosopher Stephen Toulmin created a means for argument analysis, the Toulmin Model, which can also be used to create an argument of one’s own. The Toulmin Model has many levels, but the top three provide an excellent basis for both analysis and construction of an argument.

Claims and qualifiers:

Claim is similar to thesis. What is the subject (concrete) and opinion (abstract) of the author? How does the author limit (or qualify) the claim? Look for words that narrow the author’s scope, such as many, most, and some, as in “For most people, dogs make the best pets.” Analysis of a claim requires looking at the author’s intentions and scope of argument. How broadly or narrowly does the author apply the opinion? When creating an argument, qualifying the claim helps eliminate the naysayers. For the example thesis, the “For most people” helps eliminate people who live in apartments and would argue for cats.

Reasons:

What value does the author contribute to the claim? In other words, why does the author think that way? For the claim about dogs, what value do dogs have as pets? Beneficial to health and happiness, provides safety for the family, and so on.

Evidence:

What proof can be found/researched to support the claim and the reasons? Evidence comes in many forms: facts, statistics, expert testimony, charts, graphs.

What research proves that dogs provide health benefits? What expert discusses the psychological changes in people who adopt dogs? What are the statistics of home burglaries of houses with dogs as opposed to houses without dogs?