Issue: What car should we
buy?
0 Enthymeme 1: We should buy this Smart Car because
it is extremely economical.
0 Enthymeme 2: We should buy this used Volvo
because it is very safe.
0 Enthymeme 3: We should buy this Honda CR-Z
because it is red.
Syllogism: We should
buy an economical car.
(unstated major premise)
The Smart Car is
extremely economical.
(minor premise)
We should buy the
Smart Car.
(Conclusion)
Enthymeme 1:
Smart Car
Syllogism: We should
buy a safe car. (unstated
major premise)
This Volvo is very safe.
(minor premise)
We should buy this
used Volvo.
(conclusion)
Enthymeme 2:
Used Volvo
Major Premises as Underlying
Assumptions
Assumptions for Enthymemes
#1
Economy is the
major criterion
we should use
in selecting a
car.
#2
Safety is the
major criterion
we should use in
selecting a car.
#3
The color red
is the major
criterion we
should use in
selecting a
car.
How would we support or
refute each enthymeme?
0 One possibility is that
we might agree with
the criterion in
Enthymeme 1 or 2 but
disagree with the
stated reason by
arguing that the Smart
Car isn’t as economical
as another car or that
the Volvo isn’t as safe as
another car.
0 Another possibility is
that we might disagree
with the criterion in
each case and thus argue
that we should base our
decision not on economy
or safety but on the
performance or driving
fun or cargo space or
reliability.
Key Lesson: To see the
difference between
Stated Reason
0 Supporting or
attacking the stated
reason
Unstated
Assumption
0 Supporting or
attacking the
unstated
assumption behind
the reason
Enthymeme 3
0 Why does this statement seem fishy?
0 What if this reason is really true and verifiable?
0 In fact a testimony of a survey of randomly chosen
people found 100 % said the car was red.
0 Through a special chemical spectroscopy test that
experts ran, the car’s color was proven to be red.
0 How do we get from the facts to the claim? Toulmin
states that the warrant is how we get from the data to
the claim.
0 Is this claim unwarranted?
0 What we need is some king of argument to back up this
assumption.
Toulmin Terminology
0 The unstated assumption behind each assumption is called
the warrant.
0 Together the claim the data (stated reason), and the
warrant (unstated assumption) constitute the frame or
skeleton of the argument.
0 Example:
0 Claim: We should buy this Volvo.
0 Data: It is very safe.
0 Warrant: We should buy the car that is the safest.
Grounds and Backing
0 The grounds are all the
facts, further data,
examples, evidence, or
chains of reasons we use
to support the data.
0 The backing is all the
facts, data, evidence,
examples, or chains of
reasons we use to
support the warrant.
Whether we concentrate on providing
grounds, backing, or both depends on
our anticipating our audience’s needs
and objections.
Toulmin Terminology
Enthymemes Revisited
Imagine a situation in which a writer might need to
provide extensive grounds for Enthymeme 1, but
not backing. What would the situation be? What
kinds of grounds might you use?
Possible Answer: Writer and audience have
already agreed that economy is the chief
criterion for choosing the car; they are
disagreeing on which of two cars is the most
economical. The writer supporting the Smart
Car might provide grounds in the form of data
about fuel economy, maintenance costs, taxes
and licensing fees, and resale value.
Imagine a situation in which a writer might need to provide
backing for Enthymeme 2 but no grounds. What would the
situation be? What kind of argument could be devised for
backing.
Possible Answer: Writer and audience agree that
Volvos are very safe, but they disagree on whether
safety should be the primary criterion. The writer
might argue that this car is for a very safety-minded
middle class couple with the young children. The
husband of the couple lost a sister in an auto
accident several years ago and is obsessed with
safety. He could never enjoy driving or riding in a car
that wasn’t, in his mind, the safest car he could buy.
The wife of the couple has similar concerns for
safety.
Now reverse the situation and imagine a scenario
that requires no backing for Enthymeme 2, but
plenty of grounds.
Possible Answer: Writer and audience have
agreed that they will buy the safest car on the
market but disagree whether a used Volvo is
the safest car. To argue for the Volvo’s safety,
the writer must provide grounds in the form
of insurance claim data, crash test data, data
about the actual construction of the car, and
so forth.
Enthymeme 3
0 Answer: The warrant
0 Why does something
seem fishy about this
enthymeme?
0 Cast the answer now in
Toulmin terms.
seems silly. We can
readily see how
economy and safety
could be criterion for
buying a car, but not
redness. In Toulmin
terms, this argument
cries out for backing!
Claim: We should buy this
Honda CR-Z.
Data (stated reason) : It is
red.
Grounds: Direct
observation; 100%
consensus on informal
survey that the car is red;
“red” under color on sales
form; scientific analysis of
light spectrum as it is
reflected from car’s surface.
Warrant: If we find a car
that’s red , we should buy it.
Backing: ? ? ? ?
Enthymeme 3
With a partner, think of some
scenario in which one might
buy a car because it is red. In
other words, think of a way to
provide backing for the
warrant.
Share
You must think it ludicrous that I think we should buy the CR-Z because it is
read. But think for a minute about Grandma’s situation. Grandpa died four
months ago. Grandma has hardly left the house since then and need to snap
out of her depression. She likes to drive, even though Grandpa usually did
all the driving in that clunky old Buick they owned. She never liked that car,
and she won’t drive it now – maybe because it reminds her of Grandpa.
What Grandma needs is a sporty, new, little, easy-to-drive-and-park car. So
of course, redness isn’t the only criterion we should think about. But there
are dozens of sporty little cars on the market that fit our other criteria.
What is most important, I think, is that the car is red. That has always been
her favorite color. It is youthful and energetic. I think a little red car will
help her snap out of her mourning and get her out of the house. And let’s
get it for her by next Monday, her birthday. Let’s have her wake up and see
her own little car in the driveway. So I say, let’s go get the CR-Z. The Honda
dealer has one on the lot, and it’s just exactly the kind or red that will perk
Grandma up.
Credits: Adapted from Instructor’s Manual for
Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings
John D. Ramage and John C. Bean