Teaching Argument Writing with Frankenstories

Argument is fundamentally social

It's a process of people trying to agree on reality or values.

That agreement is subjective—because it's based on each individual's personal acceptance of a claim, regardless of any objective ground truth.

And that means an argument can't be separated from its context.

Arguments are necessarily defined by the relationship between speaker, audience, and the world around them.

Even when focused on structure, we can't ignore context

We've said this lesson is focused on argument structure.

That's because argument types and components provide a great tool kit for making, analysing, and responding to arguments.

And it's easier to learn these concepts if we isolate them.

However, in practice, you can't choose argument types and components without taking context into account.

This means social context is always a consideration in Frankenstories games.

Contestability

One concept that underpins everything in argument is contestability.

• To what degree is any issue or claim in dispute?
• Who is disputing, and why?

by Reza Farazmand

Trust

Another concept that looms over everything is trust.

As individuals, our direct experience of the world is limited, so we take a lot of our understanding of the world on trust.

Trust is vital. Trust makes society work.

But trust can also be misplaced or exploited.

So deciding who we trust, why, and to what degree is an important part of studying arguments and navigating the world as individuals and citizens.