(this is the actual statement being defended. If you change this title, everything that cites this statement will be updated to the new wording.)
(Don't confuse these with premises. A premise is something necessary for the argument. An assumption is something necessary to even hold the conversation. For example, if you're wanting to argue with someone about whether tacos are the best Mexican food, something like “food exists” and “the world exists” would be obvious assumptions; without them, you can't even talk about what the best Mexican food is. “Tacos are the least spicy food” is a premise.)
(Some assumptions are in just about every argument by necessity. These can be grouped together into standard sets as the users of this site notice common assumptions that are necessarily repeated over and over. One such “set” is the first assumption below.)
The next four sections may be repeated for each line of reasoning.
∴ sample statement is true
(Arguments are always represented as statements that can be their own point of debate (such as “grass is green” or “God is evil”) or as conditional statements (such as “If God is good, He would not commit evil.”); all of these can become their own points of discussion. If you want to defend why any of these are true, go to that page and make a defense there.
A key rule in constructing an argument is to make it in as few arguments as possible: strip away everything unnecessary. If it becomes long, condense some of the points into one and further explain the argument in that point's page.
While the current formulation of this website cannot do it well (Though, if you're a web developer and want to change that, contact us!), it is a good idea to survey if statements you make have already been made before elsewhere on the site.
The concluding statement is always the same: “[the statement]” or (if it needs it) “[the statement] is true”
The penultimate premise is always the same: “if the above is true, then [the statement]” or “if the above is true, then [the statement] is true” This allows every argument to be critiqued for its logic instead of the premises themselves.
Avoid negatives. Instead of saying “The trinity does not exist,” state it as the negation of the positive: “It's not the case that the Trinity exists” or “~the Trinity exists”)
(This is where you explain the words used in the statement in order to be as clear as possible. Words can mean completely different things in different contexts, and an argument can rise or fall on its definitions.
Definitions of a premise in an argument belong on the personal page of the premise itself.)
(Analogies do not count as the evidence itself; they are simply there to help one understand the argument. When giving an analogy, it is also helpful to provide known limitations of the analogy: ways it is not a perfect representation of what it is an analogy for and “breaks down.”)
(When citing, please use full author, Chicago-style note format)
If there are multiple lines of reasoning, the last four sections may be repeated for each line of reasoning (as needed)
(Counter-arguments are always the statement itself preceeded by “It is not that” (“x” for short))
(Important: counter-arguments do not refute any of the premises or the logic of the argument itself. Instead, they present a completely different argument which, if true, means that the statement here must be false (regardless of the arguments). In philosophy, this is called a Modus Tollens.)
Like the talk page of a Wiki article, this is a section not to debate the statement, but to discuss ways of improving the page. It may also be used to discuss whether the analogies appropriately or helpfully/unhelpfully reflect the statement and ways they can be improved.
See also Sample statement