The Toulmin Method: Breaking Down Arguments

 

Making arguments can be difficult. Gathering information, presenting it in a logical manner and ultimately, getting your audience to join your side can be one of the most challenging forms of communication. The Toulmin Method is a method for making arguments that breaks down arguments into 6 total pieces that are part of 3 core parts, the claim, the grounds, and the warrant (Green 316) The example picture above highlights a simple argument and the associated pieces within the Toulmin Method. The claim functions as the core argument that writers would like their audience to believe. The grounds provide the evidence to support the argument and the warrant is the assumption that links the two together. As seen above, the other components are the qualifier, backing and rebuttal. The backing is information that further support your warrant. The qualifier helps to acknowledge any deviations or exceptions to your argument, and the rebuttal discusses other possible viewpoints. 

In recent news, one ever-present argument being discussed is regarding whether or not Russia will invade Ukraine. This claim has been made for many weeks now and the argument has generally been presented the same way. The breakdown of the key points are below: 

Claim: Russia will soon invade Ukraine

Grounds: Russia is currently massing close to two hundred thousand troops on the Ukraine-Russian border. 

Warrant: Russia is known for its historical desire to annex Ukraine. 

Qualifier: Presumably, there are few reasons for this level of military power to be displayed next to a nation with historically turbulent ties. 

Backing: Russia performed similar actions in the annexation of Crimea. 

Rebuttal: There are known military exercises in the region and Russia denies the intent to invade. 

Although these arguments have accumulated over time and can be found across a few different articles, the key concepts are highlighted in the NPR news article below:

Biden says Russia's military moves are the beginning of an invasion of Ukraine : NPR

While there is certainly no evidence that the writer was addressing the Toulmin Method while writing his article, its helpful to understand how to break down an argument to better understand the individual components. The Toulmin Method follows a natural argumentation style so learning it is just a matter of identifying important pieces when reading or hearing something. 

References. 

Chappell, Bill, and Becky Sullivan. “Biden Says Russia's Military Moves Are the Beginning of an Invasion of Ukraine.” NPR, NPR, 22 Feb. 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/02/22/1082308773/biden-russia-ukraine-updates.

Green, Julia. “Communicating Online” McGraw-Hill Education, 2022. VitalSource Bookshelf. Accessed 22 February 2022. 

“Toulmin Argument // Purdue Writing Lab.” Purdue Writing Lab, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/historical_perspectives_on_argumentation/toulmin_argument.html.