Important Questions

 

The Toulmin Method is extremely helpful, especially in this age of online communication. When every conversation moves at a fast pace, it is particularly helpful to have a sort of template that you can follow to help you get your points across. The Toulmin Method has six main components: 

1. Claim- This is the point that we want to prove to our audience

2. Grounds- Evidence, facts, statistics, etc. that can help us support our claim

3. Warrant- What we think links our grounds to the claim

4. Backing - Even more supporting information for our warrant

5. Qualifier- A statement that helps us say our statement might not be true in certain circumstances

6. Rebuttal- Counter-arguments that may challenge our claim

There are a lot of ways that we could apply the Toulmin Method in online arguments. This method could be applied almost anywhere, but I think a political discourse is an area where this could really be enforced.  Instead of just saying "Politician XYZ is bad because they _______ " without providing any sort of other information, we can use facts and structure to make our argument stronger.

There are a lot of potential limitations to using the Toulmin Method, especially in online spaces. Arguments tend to be full of emotion, which can make it particularly hard for us to apply this framework. There is also an extremely large amount of information that we can use in our arguments, so at times it can be difficult to find the best piece of information to support our case. Another term that I can think of is "echo chamber", meaning that it is easier to reinforce your beliefs on the internet, rather than challenging your viewpoint. I think that we can overcome these challenges in a variety of ways. I think that taking time to gather information before using the Toulmin Method both makes you sound more knowledgable, and also prepares you to effectively argue your point. I also think that it is important to have the ability to listen to other arguments and viewpoints, while also still arguing in support of your topic.

Critical thinking definitely plays a large role in how we can use the Toulmin Method online. I think that it is always a good idea to question assumptions, especially when we live in an age of disinformation and biased news. The Toulmin method supplies us with the framework to make sure that we can reach the right conclusions quickly. The Toulmin method can also make it easier for us to find out which sources are credible, as we can apply what we know while reading on websites and social media platforms.