Writing a Position

Paper
 Objectives:

• Distinguish among different kinds of arguments and

appeals;
• Apply this knowledge in classifying statements containing
appeals and arguments;
 Steps in Writing a Position Paper

• Choose an issue for a topic

- issues that surround us/ problems in our society
- controversial / non-controversial
 Collect Information on the Issue

• Gather information to strengthen your position.

• Answers to basic questions (5Ws)
 2 Major Types of Appeals
• Logical Appeals – the use of facts to support position/ to persuade the
audience by targeting their thinking
• Emotional Appeals – the use of audience’s feelings for the subject of the
paper/ may talked about the values
Logical Appeals: The Use of Evidence and
Logical reasoning
• Arguments – explain why a claim is correct and believable
- usually generalizations that are made on the
basis of supporting evidences ( facts,
comparisons, examples etc.)
 Types of Arguments
• Argument of transitivity – a relation between three elements

A is B Conclusion
B is C A is C
 Example:
As antioxidant, coffee is an anticancer
substance.
• The three terms are “antioxidant,” “ anticancer
substance,” and coffee.
1. Antioxidants are anticancer substances.
2. Coffee is an antioxidant.
3. Therefore, coffee is an anticancer substance.
 Types of Arguments
• Argument from incompatibility – presents 2 contradictory choices
- the choice of one is the exclusion of others
Thus, if something is A it can’t be B; if it is B it can’t be A, for A and B
can’t be combined because they are incompatible.
 Example:

President X cannot be pro- education as he claims to be.

He reduced the education budget by half.
 Types of Arguments
• Argument of reciprocity – individuals and situations that can be put
together under the same category should be treated in the same way.
 Example:
A person who is born in the Philippines and who has Filipino
parents is classified as a citizen of the Philippines. As a citizen, such a
person enjoys certain privileges reserved only for a country’s citizens,
such as the right to vote and own a property in the Phil. Now suppose a
foreigner goes through certain legal processes and becomes classified as
Filipino citizen. The reciprocity argument says this foreigner will now
have the same privileges given to any other Filipino.
 Types of Arguments
• Argument from comparison – two situations will have the same
outcome because of the similarities between these situations

AB AB
CD C?
• Entity X Entity Y
• Therefore, entity Y will have D as well.
 Types of Arguments
• Argument from generalization – uses one member of population to
make conclusions about the entire population
 Types of Arguments
• Argument from examples – uses a group of examples from that
population to serve as your basis

• Sample Population
 Types of Arguments
• Argument from cause – states that A is caused by B, which means that
the presence of A (cause) will mean the presence of B (effect)
• Strong cause/ sufficient cause- the occurrence of the cause
guarantees the existence of the effect
• Weak cause/ necessary cause - the occurrence of the cause is
necessary to the effect
 Types of Arguments
• Argument from sign- uses a sign or indicator X to argue for the
existence of condition Y

• Example: We can say that we have fever because our body

temperature reads 40 C.