Structuring an Argument
Order an argument so it builds: one line of thought, each paragraph advancing it, the opposing case answered rather than mentioned, and the strongest ground held back to the end.
What a learner can do afterwards
- State the line of argument in one sentence before drafting
- Answer a counter-argument at its strongest rather than a weak version of it
- Order paragraphs so a later point depends on an earlier one
1 · Read
State your whole argument in one sentence before you draft. Take a position a reader could disagree with, since facts nobody disputes make weak theses.
Stack your paragraphs so each later point leans on an earlier one. Check every paragraph against your sentence as you write. If a paragraph does not serve the thesis, cut it or fix the thesis.
Answer the best version of the counter view, not a weak one. Concede small points honestly, then show why your line still holds despite them.
Close by restating the claim in light of the proof. Hold your strongest ground back to the end, where it lands with the full chain behind it.
One sentence first, a chain of depending paragraphs, and the strongest counter answered.
2 · Watch
Take it off screen
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.