Counterarguments are the supporting reasons the opposite position of an issue presents in an argument. It is important for a writer of an argument to acknowledge these arguments, by systematically presenting them. This proves to your reader that your are not operating in a subjective vacuum–and that you are confident enough in your own argument to take on the opposition`s point of view. These synopses of the counterarguments should be concise and fairly brief, and presented in a separate paragraph. Following each counterargument is a refutation: this is your reasoned response to the counterargument. This is where the critical work begins, as you will want to discover the weakness in the counterargument, point it out, and turn the argument back to your position. Do not reply to a counterargument with a restatement of your position–your task is to address the specific argument made by the opposing position, and to dismantle that argument by revealing the error in reasoning. This is challenging; sometimes we can`t find an error in the reasoning–in other words, it`s a damn good argument. Sometimes a useful strategy is to compromise, and acknowledge the validity of a particular point. However, you are careful to point out that this is still not sufficient to sway your reader. The refutation should be longer than the counterargument and presented in a separate paragraph. For this assignment, generate three counterarguments to your position on online education. All three of these should fit on one page. Label the page “Counterarguments”. On a separate page, generate three refutations to your counterarguments. All three of these should fit on one page. These counterarguments and more importantly, these refutations are in a process of development–which is why this assignment is relatively short. For your paper, you will be more expansive.
