what is a counter argument in a essay

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Argumentative Essays: The Counter-Argument & Refutation

An argumentative essay presents an argument for or against a topic. For example, if your topic is working from home , then your essay would either argue in favor of working from home (this is the for  side) or against working from home.

Like most essays, an argumentative essay begins with an introduction that ends with the writer's position (or stance) in the thesis statement .

Introduction Paragraph

(Background information....)

• Thesis statement : Employers should give their workers the option to work from home in order to improve employee well-being and reduce office costs.

This thesis statement shows that the two points I plan to explain in my body paragraphs are 1) working from home improves well-being, and 2) it allows companies to reduce costs. Each topic will have its own paragraph. Here's an example of a very basic essay outline with these ideas:

• Background information

Body Paragraph 1

• Topic Sentence : Workers who work from home have improved well-being .
• Evidence from academic sources

Body Paragraph 2

• Topic Sentence : Furthermore, companies can reduce their expenses by allowing employees to work at home .
• Summary of key points
• Restatement of thesis statement

Does this look like a strong essay? Not really . There are no academic sources (research) used, and also...

You Need to Also Respond to the Counter-Arguments!

The above essay outline is very basic. The argument it presents can be made much stronger if you consider the counter-argument , and then try to respond (refute) its points.

The counter-argument presents the main points on the other side of the debate. Because we are arguing FOR working from home, this means the counter-argument is AGAINST working from home. The best way to find the counter-argument is by reading research on the topic to learn about the other side of the debate. The counter-argument for this topic might include these points:

• Distractions at home > could make it hard to concentrate
• Dishonest/lazy people > might work less because no one is watching

Next, we have to try to respond to the counter-argument in the refutation (or rebuttal/response) paragraph .

The Refutation/Response Paragraph

The purpose of this paragraph is to address the points of the counter-argument and to explain why they are false, somewhat false, or unimportant. So how can we respond to the above counter-argument? With research !

A study by Bloom (2013) followed workers at a call center in China who tried working from home for nine months. Its key results were as follows:

• The performance of people who worked from home increased by 13%
• These workers took fewer breaks and sick-days
• They also worked more minutes per shift

In other words, this study shows that the counter-argument might be false. (Note: To have an even stronger essay, present data from more than one study.) Now we have a refutation.

Where Do We Put the Counter-Argument and Refutation?

Commonly, these sections can go at the beginning of the essay (after the introduction), or at the end of the essay (before the conclusion). Let's put it at the beginning. Now our essay looks like this:

Counter-argument Paragraph

• Dishonest/lazy people might work less because no one is watching

Refutation/Response Paragraph

• Study: Productivity  increased by 14%
• (+ other details)

Body Paragraph 3

• Topic Sentence : In addition, people who work from home have improved well-being .

Body Paragraph 4

The outline is stronger now because it includes the counter-argument and refutation. Note that the essay still needs more details and research to become more convincing.

Working from home may increase productivity.

Extra Advice on Argumentative Essays

It's not a compare and contrast essay.

An argumentative essay focuses on one topic (e.g. cats) and argues for or against it. An argumentative essay should not have two topics (e.g. cats vs dogs). When you compare two ideas, you are writing a compare and contrast essay. An argumentative essay has one topic (cats). If you are FOR cats as pets, a simplistic outline for an argumentative essay could look something like this:

• Thesis: Cats are the best pet.
• are unloving
• cause allergy issues
• This is a benefit >  Many working people do not have time for a needy pet
• If you have an allergy, do not buy a cat.
• But for most people (without allergies), cats are great
• Supporting Details

Use Language in Counter-Argument That Shows Its Not Your Position

The counter-argument is not your position. To make this clear, use language such as this in your counter-argument:

• Opponents might argue that cats are unloving.
• People who dislike cats would argue that cats are unloving.
• Critics of cats could argue that cats are unloving.
• It could be argued that cats are unloving.

These  underlined phrases make it clear that you are presenting  someone else's argument , not your own.

Choose the Side with the Strongest Support

Do not choose your side based on your own personal opinion. Instead, do some research and learn the truth about the topic. After you have read the arguments for and against, choose the side with the strongest support as your position.

Do Not Include Too Many Counter-arguments

Include the main (two or three) points in the counter-argument. If you include too many points, refuting these points becomes quite difficult.

If you have any questions, leave a comment below.

- Matthew Barton / Creator of Englishcurrent.com

Additional Resources :

• Writing a Counter-Argument & Refutation (Richland College)
• Language for Counter-Argument and Refutation Paragraphs (Brown's Student Learning Tools)

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24 comments on “ Argumentative Essays: The Counter-Argument & Refutation ”

Thank you professor. It is really helpful.

Can you also put the counter argument in the third paragraph

It depends on what your instructor wants. Generally, a good argumentative essay needs to have a counter-argument and refutation somewhere. Most teachers will probably let you put them anywhere (e.g. in the start, middle, or end) and be happy as long as they are present. But ask your teacher to be sure.

Thank you for the information Professor

how could I address a counter argument for “plastic bags and its consumption should be banned”?

For what reasons do they say they should be banned? You need to address the reasons themselves and show that these reasons are invalid/weak.

Thank you for this useful article. I understand very well.

Thank you for the useful article, this helps me a lot!

Thank you for this useful article which helps me in my study.

Thank you, professor Mylene 102-04

it was very useful for writing essay

Very useful reference body support to began writing a good essay. Thank you!

Really very helpful. Thanks Regards Mayank

Thank you, professor, it is very helpful to write an essay.

It is really helpful thank you

It was a very helpful set of learning materials. I will follow it and use it in my essay writing. Thank you, professor. Regards Isha

Thanks Professor

This was really helpful as it lays the difference between argumentative essay and compare and contrast essay.. Thanks for the clarification.

This is such a helpful guide in composing an argumentative essay. Thank you, professor.

This was really helpful proof, thankyou!

Thanks this was really helpful to me

This was very helpful for us to generate a good form of essay

thank you so much for this useful information.

Thank you so much, Sir. This helps a lot!

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Counterarguments

A counterargument involves acknowledging standpoints that go against your argument and then re-affirming your argument. This is typically done by stating the opposing side’s argument, and then ultimately presenting your argument as the most logical solution. The counterargument is a standard academic move that is used in argumentative essays because it shows the reader that you are capable of understanding and respecting multiple sides of an argument.

Counterargument in two steps

Respectfully acknowledge evidence or standpoints that differ from your argument.

Refute the stance of opposing arguments, typically utilizing words like “although” or “however.”

In the refutation, you want to show the reader why your position is more correct than the opposing idea.

Where to put a counterargument

Can be placed within the introductory paragraph to create a contrast for the thesis statement.

May consist of a whole paragraph that acknowledges the opposing view and then refutes it.

• Can be one sentence acknowledgements of other opinions followed by a refutation.

Why use a counterargument?

Some students worry that using a counterargument will take away from their overall argument, but a counterargument may make an essay more persuasive because it shows that the writer has considered multiple sides of the issue. Barnet and Bedau (2005) propose that critical thinking is enhanced through imagining both sides of an argument. Ultimately, an argument is strengthened through a counterargument.

Examples of the counterargument structure

• Argument against smoking on campus:  Admittedly, many students would like to smoke on campus. Some people may rightly argue that if smoking on campus is not illegal, then it should be permitted; however, second-hand smoke may cause harm to those who have health issues like asthma, possibly putting them at risk.
• Argument against animal testing:  Some people argue that using animals as test subjects for health products is justifiable. To be fair, animal testing has been used in the past to aid the development of several vaccines, such as small pox and rabies. However, animal testing for beauty products causes unneeded pain to animals. There are alternatives to animal testing. Instead of using animals, it is possible to use human volunteers. Additionally, Carl Westmoreland (2006) suggests that alternative methods to animal research are being developed; for example, researchers are able to use skin constructed from cells to test cosmetics. If alternatives to animal testing exist, then the practice causes unnecessary animal suffering and should not be used.

Harvey, G. (1999). Counterargument. Retrieved from writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/counter- argument

Westmoreland, C. (2006; 2007). “Alternative Tests and the 7th Amendment to the Cosmetics Directive.” Hester, R. E., & Harrison, R. M. (Ed.) Alternatives to animal testing (1st Ed.). Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry.

Barnet, S., Bedau, H. (Eds.). (2006). Critical thinking, reading, and writing . Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Contributor: Nathan Lachner

How to Write a Counter Argument (Step-by-Step Guide)

Have you been asked to include a counter argument in an essay you are writing? Unless you are already an experienced essay writer, you may have no idea where to even start. We're here to help you tackle your counter argument like a pro.

What Is a Counter Argument?

A counter argument is precisely what it sounds like — an argument that offers reasons to disagree with an essay's thesis statement. As you are writing your essay, you will likely pen multiple supporting arguments that outline precisely why readers should logically agree with the thesis. In a counter argument paragraph, you show that you also understand common reasons to believe differently.

In any given essay, you may write one or more counter arguments — and then, frequently, immediately refute them. Whether you are required to include a counter argument or you simply want to, always include:

• A simple statement explaining the counter argument. As it will likely follow paragraphs in which you fleshed out your argument, this can start with words like "Some people are concerned that", or "critics say", or "On the other hand".
• Then include further reasoning, data, or statistics.
• Following this, you will want to discredit the counter argument immediately.

Why Include a Counter Argument?

Including a counter argument (or multiple, for that matter) in an essay may be required, but even in cases where it is not, mentioning at least one counter argument can make your essay much stronger. You may, at first glance, believe that you are undermining yourself and contradicting your thesis statement. That's not true at all. By including a counter argument in your essay, you show that:

• You have done your research and are intimately familiar with each aspect of your thesis, including opposition to it.
• You have arrived at your conclusion through the power of reason, and without undue bias.
• You do not only blindly support your thesis, but can also deal with opposition to it.

In doing so, your essay will become much more reasoned and logical, and in practical terms, this likely means that you can count on a higher grade.

How To Write a Counter Argument (Step-by-Step Guide)

You have been laboring over your essay for a while, carefully researching each aspect of your thesis and making strong arguments that aim to persuade the reader that your view is the correct one — or at least that you are a solid writer who understands the subject matter and deserves a good grade for your efforts.

If you are passionate about the topic in question, it can be hard to decide how to incorporate a counter argument. Here's how to do it, step-by-step:

1. Brainstorm

You have already researched your topic, so you know on what grounds people most frequently oppose your argument. Write them down. Pick one, or a few, that you consider to be important and interesting. Formulate the counter argument as if you were on the opposing side.

2. Making the Transition

Your counter argument paragraph or paragraphs differ from the rest of your essay, so you will want to introduce a counter argument with a transition. Common ways to do this are to introduce your counter argument with phrases like:

• Admittedly, conversely, however, nevertheless, or although.
• Opponents would argue that...
• Common concerns with this position are...
• Critics say that...

3. Offering Evidence

Flesh the counter argument out by offering evidence — of the fact that people hold that position (where possible, quote a well-known opponent), as well as reasons why. Word your counter argument in such a way that makes it clear that you have carefully considered the position, and are not simply belittling it. This portion of your counter argument will require doing additional research in most cases.

4. Refute the Counter Argument

You are still arguing in favor of your main thesis. You will, therefore, not just want to describe the opposing side and leave it at that — you will also thoughtfully want to show why the opposing argument is not valid, in your opinion, and you will want to include evidence here, as well.

5. Restate Your Argument

After refuting your counter argument, you can go ahead and restate your argument. Why should people believe what you have to say, despite any opposition?

How To Write A Good Counter Argument

As you're writing a counter argument, you might run into some difficulties if you fervently believe in the truth of your argument. Indeed, in some cases, your argument may appear to you to be so obvious that you don't understand why anyone could think differently.

To help you write a good counter argument, keep in mind that:

• You should never caricature the opposing viewpoint. Show that you deeply understand it, instead.
• To do this, it helps if you validate legitimate concerns you find in an opponent's point of view.
• This may require quite a bit of research, including getting into the opposing side's mindset.
• Refute your counter argument with compassion, and not smugly.

Examples of Counter Arguments with Refutation

Still not sure? No worries; we have you covered. Take a look at these examples:

• Many people have argued that a vaccine mandate would strip people of their individual liberties by forcing them to inject foreign substances into their bodies. While this is, in a sense, true, the option of remaining unvaccinated likewise forces other people to be exposed to this virus; thereby potentially stripping them of the most important liberty of all — the liberty to stay alive.
• The concern has been raised that the death penalty could irreversibly strip innocent people of their lives. The answer to this problem lies in raising the bar for death penalty sentences by limiting them to only those cases in which no question whatsoever exists that the convicted party was truly guilty. Modern forensic science has made this infinitely easier.

In short, you'll want to acknowledge that other arguments exist, and then refute them. The tone in which you do so depends on your goal.

What is a counter argument in a thesis?

A counter argument is one that supports the opposing side. In an essay, it shows that you understand other viewpoints, have considered them, and ultimately dismissed them.

Where do I place the counter argument in an essay?

Place the counter argument after your main supporting arguments.

How long should the counter argument be?

It may be a single paragraph or multiple, depending on how important you believe the counter argument to be and the length of the essay.

What is the difference between a counter argument and a rebuttal?

A counter argument describes the opposing side in some detail before it is refuted. In a rebuttal, you may simply oppose the opposition.

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Counter Argument

One way to strengthen your argument and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the issue you are discussing is to anticipate and address counter arguments, or objections. By considering opposing views, you show that you have thought things through, and you dispose of some of the reasons your audience might have for not accepting your argument. Ask yourself what someone who disagrees with you might say in response to each of the points you’ve made or about your position as a whole.

If you can’t immediately imagine another position, here are some strategies to try:

• Do some research. It may seem to you that no one could possibly disagree with the position you are taking, but someone probably has. Look around to see what stances people have and do take on the subject or argument you plan to make, so that you know what environment you are addressing.
• Talk with a friend or with your instructor. Another person may be able to play devil’s advocate and suggest counter arguments that haven’t occurred to you.
• Consider each of your supporting points individually. Even if you find it difficult to see why anyone would disagree with your central argument, you may be able to imagine more easily how someone could disagree with the individual parts of your argument. Then you can see which of these counter arguments are most worth considering. For example, if you argued “Cats make the best pets. This is because they are clean and independent,” you might imagine someone saying “Cats do not make the best pets. They are dirty and demanding.”

Once you have considered potential counter arguments, decide how you might respond to them: Will you concede that your opponent has a point but explain why your audience should nonetheless accept your argument? Or will you reject the counterargument and explain why it is mistaken? Either way, you will want to leave your reader with a sense that your argument is stronger than opposing arguments.

Two strategies are available to incorporate counter arguments into your essay:

Refutation:

Refutation seeks to disprove opposing arguments by pointing out their weaknesses. This approach is generally most effective if it is not hostile or sarcastic; with methodical, matter-of-fact language, identify the logical, theoretical, or factual flaws of the opposition.

For example, in an essay supporting the reintroduction of wolves into western farmlands, a writer might refute opponents by challenging the logic of their assumptions:

Although some farmers have expressed concern that wolves might pose a threat to the safety of sheep, cattle, or even small children, their fears are unfounded. Wolves fear humans even more than humans fear wolves and will trespass onto developed farmland only if desperate for food. The uninhabited wilderness that will become the wolves’ new home has such an abundance of food that there is virtually no chance that these shy animals will stray anywhere near humans.

Here, the writer acknowledges the opposing view (wolves will endanger livestock and children) and refutes it (the wolves will never be hungry enough to do so).

Accommodation:

Accommodation acknowledges the validity of the opposing view, but argues that other considerations outweigh it. In other words, this strategy turns the tables by agreeing (to some extent) with the opposition.

For example, the writer arguing for the reintroduction of wolves might accommodate the opposing view by writing:

Critics of the program have argued that reintroducing wolves is far too expensive a project to be considered seriously at this time. Although the reintroduction program is costly, it will only become more costly the longer it is put on hold. Furthermore, wolves will help control the population of pest animals in the area, saving farmers money on extermination costs. Finally, the preservation of an endangered species is worth far more to the environment and the ecological movement than the money that taxpayers would save if this wolf relocation initiative were to be abandoned.

This writer acknowledges the opposing position (the program is too expensive), agrees (yes, it is expensive), and then argues that despite the expense the program is worthwhile.

Some Final Hints

Don’t play dirty. When you summarize opposing arguments, be charitable. Present each argument fairly and objectively, rather than trying to make it look foolish. You want to convince your readers that you have carefully considered all sides of the issues and that you are not simply attacking or caricaturing your opponents.

Sometimes less is more. It is usually better to consider one or two serious counter arguments in some depth, rather than to address every counterargument.

Keep an open mind. Be sure that your reply is consistent with your original argument. Careful consideration of counter arguments can complicate or change your perspective on an issue. There’s nothing wrong with adopting a different perspective or changing your mind, but if you do, be sure to revise your thesis accordingly.

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Writing a Paper: Responding to Counterarguments

Basics of counterarguments.

When constructing an argument, it is important to consider any counterarguments a reader might make. Acknowledging the opposition shows that you are knowledgeable about the issue and are not simply ignoring other viewpoints. Addressing counterarguments also gives you an opportunity to clarify and strengthen your argument, helping to show how your argument is stronger than other arguments.

Incorporating counterarguments into your writing can seem counterintuitive at first, and some writers may be unsure how to do so. To help you incorporate counterarguments into your argument, we recommend following the steps: (a) identify, (b) investigate, (c) address, and (d) refine.

Identify the Counterarguments

First you need to identify counterarguments to your own argument. Ask yourself, based on your argument, what might someone who disagrees counter in response? You might also discover counterarguments while doing your research, as you find authors who may disagree with your argument.

For example, if you are researching the current opioid crisis in the United States, your argument might be: State governments should allocate part of the budget for addiction recovery centers in communities heavily impacted by the opioid crisis . A few counterarguments might be:

• Recovery centers are not proven to significantly help people with addiction.
• The state’s money should go to more pressing concerns such as...
• Establishing and maintaining a recovery center is too costly.
• Addicts are unworthy of assistance from the state. 

Investigate the Counterarguments

Analyze the counterarguments so that you can determine whether they are valid. This may require assessing the counterarguments with the research you already have or by identifying logical fallacies . You may also need to do additional research.

In the above list, the first three counterarguments can be researched. The fourth is a moral argument and therefore can only be addressed in a discussion of moral values, which is usually outside the realm of social science research. To investigate the first, you could do a search for research that studies the effectiveness of recovery centers. For the second, you could look at the top social issues in states around the country. Is the opioid crisis the main concern or are there others? For the third, you could look for public financial data from a recovery center or interview someone who works at one to get a sense of the costs involved. 

Address the Counterarguments

Address one or two counterarguments in a rebuttal. Now that you have researched the counterarguments, consider your response. In your essay, you will need to state and refute these opposing views to give more credence to your argument. No matter how you decide to incorporate the counterargument into your essay, be sure you do so with objectivity, maintaining a formal and scholarly tone . 

Considerations when writing:

• Will you discredit the counteragument by bringing in contradictory research?
• Will you concede that the point is valid but that your argument still stands as the better view? (For example, perhaps it is very costly to run a recovery center, but the societal benefits offset that financial cost.)
• Placement . You can choose to place the counterargument toward the beginning of the essay, as a way to anticipate opposition, or you can place it toward the end of the essay, after you have solidly made the main points of your argument. You can also weave a counterargument into a body paragraph, as a way to quickly acknowledge opposition to a main point. Which placement is best depends on your argument, how you’ve organized your argument, and what placement you think is most effective.
• Weight . After you have addressed the counterarguments, scan your essay as a whole. Are you spending too much time on them in comparison to your main points? Keep in mind that if you linger too long on the counterarguments, your reader might learn less about your argument and more about opposing viewpoints instead. 

Refine Your Argument

Considering counterarguments should help you refine your own argument, clarifying the relevant issues and your perspective. Furthermore, if you find yourself agreeing with the counterargument, you will need to revise your thesis statement and main points to reflect your new thinking. 

Templates for Responding to Counterarguments

There are many ways you can incorporate counterarguments, but remember that you shouldn’t just mention the counterargument—you need to respond to it as well. You can use these templates (adapted from Graff & Birkenstein, 2009) as a starting point for responding to counterarguments in your own writing.

• The claim that _____ rests upon the questionable assumption that _____.
• X may have been true in the past, but recent research has shown that ________.
• By focusing on _____, X has overlooked the more significant problem of _____.
• Although I agree with X up to a point, I cannot accept the overall conclusion that _____.
• Though I concede that _____, I still insist that _____.
• Whereas X has provided ample evidence that ____, Y and Z’s research on ____ and ____ convinces me that _____ instead.
• Although I grant that _____, I still maintain that _____.
• While it is true that ____, it does not necessarily follow that _____.

Graff, G., & Birkenstein, C. (2009). They say/I say: The moves that matter in academic writing (2 nd ed.). Norton.

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21 Argument, Counterargument, & Refutation

In academic writing, we often use an Argument essay structure. Argument essays have these familiar components, just like other types of essays:

• Introduction
• Body Paragraphs

But Argument essays also contain these particular elements:

• Debatable thesis statement in the Introduction
• Argument – paragraphs which show support for the author’s thesis (for example: reasons, evidence, data, statistics)
• Counterargument – at least one paragraph which explains the opposite point of view
• Concession – a sentence or two acknowledging that there could be some truth to the Counterargument
• Refutation (also called Rebuttal) – sentences which explain why the Counterargument is not as strong as the original Argument

Consult  Introductions & Titles for more on writing debatable thesis statements and  Paragraphs ~ Developing Support for more about developing your Argument.

Imagine that you are writing about vaping. After reading several articles and talking with friends about vaping, you decide that you are strongly opposed to it.

Which working thesis statement would be better?

• Vaping should be illegal because it can lead to serious health problems.

Many students do not like vaping.

Because the first option provides a debatable position, it is a better starting point for an Argument essay.

Next, you would need to draft several paragraphs to explain your position. These paragraphs could include facts that you learned in your research, such as statistics about vapers’ health problems, the cost of vaping, its effects on youth, its harmful effects on people nearby, and so on, as an appeal to logos . If you have a personal story about the effects of vaping, you might include that as well, either in a Body Paragraph or in your Introduction, as an appeal to pathos .

A strong Argument essay would not be complete with only your reasons in support of your position. You should also include a Counterargument, which will show your readers that you have carefully researched and considered both sides of your topic. This shows that you are taking a measured, scholarly approach to the topic – not an overly-emotional approach, or an approach which considers only one side. This helps to establish your ethos as the author. It shows your readers that you are thinking clearly and deeply about the topic, and your Concession (“this may be true”) acknowledges that you understand other opinions are possible.

Here are some ways to introduce a Counterargument:

• Some people believe that vaping is not as harmful as smoking cigarettes.
• Critics argue that vaping is safer than conventional cigarettes.
• On the other hand, one study has shown that vaping can help people quit smoking cigarettes.

Your paragraph would then go on to explain more about this position; you would give evidence here from your research about the point of view that opposes your own opinion.

Here are some ways to begin a Concession and Refutation:

• While this may be true for some adults, the risks of vaping for adolescents outweigh its benefits.
• Although these critics may have been correct before, new evidence shows that vaping is, in some cases, even more harmful than smoking.
• This may have been accurate for adults wishing to quit smoking; however, there are other methods available to help people stop using cigarettes.

Your paragraph would then continue your Refutation by explaining more reasons why the Counterargument is weak. This also serves to explain why your original Argument is strong. This is a good opportunity to prove to your readers that your original Argument is the most worthy, and to persuade them to agree with you.

Activity ~ Practice with Counterarguments, Concessions, and Refutations

A. Examine the following thesis statements with a partner. Is each one debatable?

B. Write  your own Counterargument, Concession, and Refutation for each thesis statement.

Thesis Statements:

• Online classes are a better option than face-to-face classes for college students who have full-time jobs.
• Students who engage in cyberbullying should be expelled from school.
• Unvaccinated children pose risks to those around them.
• Governments should be allowed to regulate internet access within their countries.

Is this chapter:

…too easy, or you would like more detail? Read “ Further Your Understanding: Refutation and Rebuttal ” from Lumen’s Writing Skills Lab.

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reasoning, logic

emotion, feeling, beliefs

moral character, credibility, trust, authority

goes against; believes the opposite of something

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Table of Contents

Ai, ethics & human agency, collaboration, information literacy, writing process, counterarguments – rebuttal – refutation.

• © 2023 by Roberto León - Georgia College & State University

Ignoring what your target audience thinks and feels about your argument isn't a recipe for success. Instead, engage in audience analysis : ask yourself, "How is your target audience likely to respond to your propositions? What counterarguments -- arguments about your argument -- will your target audience likely raise before considering your propositions?"

Counterargument Definition

C ounterargument refers to an argument given in response to another argument that takes an alternative approach to the issue at hand.

C ounterargument may also be known as rebuttal or refutation .

Related Concepts

Audience Awareness ; Authority (in Speech and Writing) ; Critical Literacy ; Ethos ; Openness ; Researching Your Audience

Guide to Counterarguments in Writing Studies

Counterarguments are a topic of study in Writing Studies as

• Rhetors engage in rhetorical reasoning : They analyze the rebuttals their target audiences may have to their claims , interpretations , propositions, and proposals
• Rhetors may develop counterarguments by questioning a rhetor’s backing , data , qualifiers, and/or warrants
• Rhetors begin arguments with sincere summaries of counterarguments
• a strategy of Organization .

Learning about the placement of counterarguments in Toulmin Argument , Arisotelian Argument , and Rogerian Argument will help you understand when you need to introduce counterarguments and how thoroughly you need to address them.

Why Do Counterarguments Matter?

If your goal is clarity and persuasion, you cannot ignore what your target audience thinks, feels, and does about the argument. To communicate successfully with audiences, rhetors need to engage in audience analysis : they need to understand the arguments against their argument that the audience may hold.

Imagine that you are scrolling through your social media feed when you see a post from an old friend. As you read, you immediately feel that your friend’s post doesn’t make sense. “They can’t possibly believe that!” you tell yourself. You quickly reply “I’m not sure I agree. Why do you believe that?” Your friend then posts a link to an article and tells you to see for yourself.

There are many ways to analyze your friend’s social media post or the professor’s article your friend shared. You might, for example, evaluate the professor’s article by using the CRAAP Test or by conducting a rhetorical analysis of their aims and ethos . After engaging in these prewriting heuristics to get a better sense of what your friend knows and feels about the topic at hand, you may feel more prepared to respond to their arguments and also sense how they might react to your post.

Toulmin Counterarguments

There’s more than one way to counter an argument.

In Toulmin Argument , a counterargument can be made against the writer’s claim by questioning their backing , data , qualifiers, and/or warrants . For example, let’s say we wrote the following argument:

“Social media is bad for you (claim) because it always (qualifier) promotes an unrealistic standard of beauty (backing). In this article, researchers found that most images were photoshopped (data). Standards should be realistic; if they are not, those standards are bad (warrant).” 

Besides noting we might have a series of logical fallacies here, counterarguments and dissociations can be made against each of these parts:

• Against the qualifier: Social media does not always promote unrealistic standards.
• Against the backing : Social media presents but does not promote unrealistic standards.
• Against the data : This article focuses on Instagram; these findings are not applicable to Twitter.
• Against the warrant : How we approach standards matters more than the standards themselves; standards do not need to be realistic, but rather we need to be realistic about how we approach standards.

In generating and considering counterarguments and conditions of rebuttal, it is important to consider how we approach alternative views. Alternative viewpoints are opportunities not only to strengthen and contrast our own arguments with those of others; alternative viewpoints are also opportunities to nuance and develop our own arguments. 

Let us continue to look at our social media argument and potential counterarguments. We might prepare responses to each of these potential counterarguments, anticipating the ways in which our audience might try to shift how we frame this situation. However, we might also concede that some of these counterarguments actually have good points.

For example, we might still believe that social media is bad, but perhaps we also need to consider more about 

• What factors make it worse (nuance the qualifier)?
• Whether or not social media is a neutral tool or whether algorithms take advantage of our baser instincts (nuance the backing )
• Whether this applies to all social media or whether we want to focus on just one social media platform (nuance the data ) 
• How should we approach social standards (nuance the warrant )?

Identifying counterarguments can help us strengthen our arguments by helping us recognize the complexity of the issue at hand.

Neoclassical Argument – Aristotelian Argument

Learn how to compose a counterargument passage or section.

While Toulmin Argument focuses on the nuts and bolts of argumentation, a counterargument can also act as an entire section of an Aristotelian Argument . This section typically comes after you have presented your own lines of argument and evidence .

This section typically consists of two rhetorical moves :

Examples of Counterarguments

By introducing counterarguments, we show we are aware of alternative viewpoints— other definitions, explanations, meanings, solutions, etc. We want to show that we are good listeners and aren’t committing the strawman fallacy . We also concede some of the alternative viewpoints that we find most persuasive. By making concessions, we can show that we are reasonable ( ethos ) and that we are listening . Rogerian Argument is an example of building listening more fully into our writing. 

Using our social media example, we might write: 

I recognize that in many ways social media is only as good as the content that people upload to it. As Professor X argues, social media amplifies both the good and the bad of human nature.

Once we’ve shown that we understand and recognize good arguments when we see them, we put forward our response to the counterclaim. In our response, we do not simply dismiss alternative viewpoints, but provide our own backing, data, and warrants to show that we, in fact, have the more compelling position. 

To counter Professor X’s argument, we might write:

At the same time, there are clear instances where social media amplifies the bad over the good by design. While content matters, the design of social media is only as good as the people who created it.

Through conceding and countering, we can show that we recognize others’ good points and clarify where we stand in relation to others’ arguments.

Counterarguments and Organization

Learn when and how to weave counterarguments into your texts.

As we write, it is also important to consider the extent to which we will respond to counterarguments. If we focus too much on counterarguments, we run the risk of downplaying our own contributions. If we focus too little on counterarguments, we run the risk of seeming aloof and unaware of reality. Ideally, we will be somewhere in between these two extremes.

There are many places to respond to counterarguments in our writing. Where you place your counterarguments will depend on the rhetorical situation (ex: audience , purpose, subject ), your rhetorical stance (how you want to present yourself), and your sense of kairos . Here are some common choices based on a combination of these rhetorical situation factors:

• If a counterargument is well-established for your audience, you may want to respond to that counterargument earlier in your essay, clearing the field and creating space for you to make your own arguments. An essay about gun rights, for example, would need to make it clear very quickly that it is adding something new to this old debate. Doing so shows your audience that you are very aware of their needs.
• If a counterargument is especially well-established for your audience and you simply want to prove that it is incorrect rather than discuss another solution, you might respond to it point by point, structuring your whole essay as an extended refutation. Fact-checking and commentary articles often make this move. Responding point by point shows that you take the other’s point of view seriously.
• If you are discussing something relatively unknown or new to your audience (such as a problem with black mold in your dormitory), you might save your response for after you have made your points. Including alternative viewpoints even here shows that you are aware of the situation and have nothing to hide.

Whichever you choose, remember that counterarguments are opportunities to ethically engage with alternative viewpoints and your audience. 

The following questions can guide you as you begin to think about counterarguments:

• What is your argument ? What alternative positions might exist as counterarguments to your argument?
• How can considering counterarguments strengthen your argument?
• Given possible counterarguments, what points might you reconsider or concede?
• To what extent might you respond to counterarguments in your essay so that they can create and respond to the rhetorical situation ?
• Where might you place your counterarguments in your essay?
• What might including counterarguments do for your ethos ?

Recommended Resources

• Sweetland Center for Writing (n.d.). “ How Do I Incorporate a Counterargument? ” University of Michigan. 
• The Writing Center (n.d.) “ All About Counterarguments .” George Mason University. 
• Lachner, N. (n.d.). “ Counterarguments .” University of Nevada Reno, University Writing and Speaking Center. 
• Jeffrey, R. (n.d.). “ Questions for Thinking about Counterarguments .” In M. Gagich and E. Zickel, A Guide to Rhetoric, Genre, and Success in First-Year Writing. 
• Kause, S. (2011). “ On the Other Hand: The Role of Antithetical Writing in First Year Composition Courses .” Writing Spaces Vol. 2.
• Burton, G. “ Refutatio .” Silvae Rhetoricae.

Toulmin, S. (1958). The Uses of Argument. Cambridge University Press.

Perelman, C. and Olbrechts-Tyteca, L. (1971). “The Dissociation of Concepts”; “The Interaction of Arguments,” in The New Rhetoric: A Treatise on Argumentation (pp. 411-459, 460-508), University of Notre Dame Press.

Mozafari, C. (2018). “Crafting Counterarguments,” in Fearless Writing: Rhetoric, Inquiry, Argument (pp. 333-337), MacMillian Learning

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Counter Argument in Essay Writing: How to Write a Good Counter Argument

Counterarguments oppose an author’s ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and opinions. These counterarguments are usually found in essays used in class or during specific examinations, thus requiring students to develop this particular skill.

And to develop an effective essay, you must be able to present your views and counter-arguments in a manner that does not leave your audience confused. But for many, this is not the case, and they find it challenging.

But not anymore. This post delves deeper to help you understand a counter-argument and how to write one, among other crucial details.

Here is the explanation.

What Is a Counter Argument

A counter-argument is a logical and rational way to disagree with an opposing viewpoint or assertion. In other words, it is a statement that opposes an argument developed in another article.

These arguments also attempt to disprove or question the validity of the original idea. It is important to note that this type of argument should be used only when there is insufficient evidence supporting the original claim or if you have new evidence.

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Further, counterarguments are used in many different situations. For example, if you are preparing for an argumentative essay or speech and need to find arguments against your position, you can use them.

Further, you can use these arguments when debating or in any other type of argument. When you give someone a counter-argument, you show them that there is more than one way to look at the situation and explain why their point of view is not the only one. You are attempting to show that what they say is not necessarily true and that they should consider other options.

Also see: How Do You Write a Toulmin Argumentative Essay

It’s important to note that counterarguments don’t always have to be negative. Sometimes they can be positive but negate the original statement.

How to Write a Good Counter Argument

Good counterarguments are based on solid research and thoughtful analysis. The best way to write a strong counter-argument is to do the following;

Be thorough

You should answer all of the points made by your opponent in their essay and explain why you don’t agree with those points.

For example, if someone says that people shouldn’t eat meat because it is unhealthy and is animal cruelty, you should address both points in your response. Explain the importance of eating meat and how it is not animal cruelty.

Provide enough evidence

In your arguments, include evidence from experts in your field. This will help bolster your credibility and make your view seem more convincing than if you were simply presenting personal opinions or subjective interpretations of facts.

You should clearly state the opposing position, include evidence to support it, and then explain why you disagree with this position based on your research and analysis of the evidence presented.

Be fair and objective

Being fair and objective when writing a counter-argument means that you should not attack the person or group you are writing about. Instead, you should focus on the issue in question. This makes your writing more persuasive to the reader.

It also means explaining why your position is correct, and your opponent’s wrong. You should not present your argument as the only possible or accurate one. Instead, define the several possible positions on an issue, and point out what those positions are.

You should also not ignore any part of your opponent’s position, even if it seems weak or wrong to you. For example, if your opponent states, “War is always bad,” you should acknowledge this and explain by saying, war is bad but sometimes justifiable and thus not always wrong.

Additionally, it would help if you did not misrepresent any position by taking things out of context.

Counter Argument Transition Words

When writing a counter-argument, it is vital to ensure that your argument is well-structured and organized. This means you must have a clear opening paragraph, evidence to support your claims, and a conclusion that summarizes everything.

However, you must use the correct words for your readers to follow your argument. These words are known as transitions, and they help you logically connect your ideas and allow the argument to flow smoothly. These transition words are used to connect one paragraph with another, as well as one sentence with another.

The following is a list of counter-argument transition words that can help you write a better counter-argument in your essay.

Moreover, however, conversely, moreover, nonetheless, on the other hand, although, despite this, nonetheless, on the contrary, yet, still, but, instead, in conclusion, to conclude, to sum up, and likewise.

You can also first, second, and thirdly to show how your points flow.

Counter Argument Sentence Starters

The easiest and most effective way to start a counter-argument sentence is by using inviting and “non-hostile” phrases. These can be phrases or words that you use to reference your opponent’s argument, which shows you have taken time to look at their points.

It is essential to understand that these sentence starters do not necessarily have to be negative or critical but can also be positive. The key is to use them to make your reader appreciate both points but still believe you.

Examples of counter-argument sentence starters can be, I  disagree, you are wrong, you are right, would you agree? “Why do you think so?” and “How come?”

Others include;

• What might be some reasons why?
• Are there certain circumstances that would make this accurate?
• How could this not be true?
• What would happen if we did not believe it?
• How accurate is this statement?

Do Synthesis Essays Need a Counter Argument

Synthesis essays require you to have a counter-argument to your thesis, especially in the first paragraph. A synthesis essay is an academic assignment that requires you to combine multiple sources into one coherent paper. When you are writing a synthesis essay, you will include both positive and negative arguments.

You can find multiple sources online or in your local library. Once you have all your information gathered, start by reading through each source and making notes of relevant points to your topic. This will help you see what each source says about the subject and how similar or different they are.

Finally, you should organize your notes and ideas into paragraph form to flow smoothly while making sense. Once this is done, it’s time to write your counter-argument paragraph.

Does an Argumentative Essay Need a Counter Argument

An argumentative essay needs you to have a counter-argument. This is because you are required to write a paper that presents your thesis and then backs it up with evidence, and the counter-argument is a part of this process.

It is the other side of the story. The idea here is that you present an argument but then offer another point of view on the same topic in the counter-argument section. This can be done in many ways, but it should always be backed up by evidence from your research.

An argumentative essay is a piece of writing that presents a position and then defends it with evidence and reasoning. The essay’s purpose is to convince the reader that the author’s point of view is correct. However, it also has the counter-argument section, with responses to an existing idea and clearly shows the alternative point of view.

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9.7.3: Counter Argument Paragraphs

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• Athena Kashyap & Erika Dyquisto
• City College of San Francisco via ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative

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Counter-Argument Paragraphs

The purpose of a counter argument is to consider (and show that you are considering) perspectives other than your own. A counter-argument tears down other viewpoints; it does not build up your own, which you should do in separate paragraphs.

Placement of Counter-Arguments in an Essay

A counter argument can appear anywhere in the essay, but it most commonly appears:

• As part of your introduction—before you propose your thesis—where the existence of a different view is the motive for your essay. This works if your entire essay will be a counter-argument and you are not building up your own argument.
• As a section or paragraph just after your introduction, in which you lay out the expected reaction or standard position of opposing viewpoints before turning away to develop your own.
• As a quick move within a paragraph, where you imagine a counter-argument not to your main idea but to the sub-idea that the paragraph is arguing or is about to argue.
• As a section or paragraph just before the conclusion of your essay, in which you imagine what someone might object to in what you have argued. (However, this is really too late to be very effective in persuading someone to your position. It only shows you are considering other points of view.

Watch that you don't overdo it. A turn into counter argument here and there will sharpen and energize your essay, but too many such turns will have the reverse effect by obscuring your main idea or suggesting that you're ambivalent about your point of view. At the worst, it can sound like you are contradicting yourself. Writing a lead-in sentence with subordination or concession can help avoid this problem.

Example Counter-Argument

The following paragraph explains an opposing point of view to the writer's position in almost the whole paragraph. Words in bold italics explain the essential component of a counter-argument that a writer is doing in the following sentence(s).

The next paragraph is the counter-argument to the previous paragraph. Notice, however, that this count-argument does have some problems. The writer doesn't distinguish between public and private charter schools and also creates some logical fallacies in the process. Counter-arguments should be logically solid, cite sources, and argue logically.

At this point, the writer would then begin to argue their point of view with sub-claims and facts developed in a number of paragraphs to support their thesis.

If a writer is constructing an entire essay as a counter-argument, then the writer will need to fully develop multiple, well-supported arguments against the other point of view. The writer may also want to point out any logical flaws or other errors in the argument that they oppose.

Contributors and Attributions

• Revision, Adaptation, and Original Content. Provided by: Libretexts. License: CC BY-SA 4.0: Attribution.

This page most recently updated on June 6, 2020.

The Study Blog : Tips

8 counter argument examples to help you write a strong essay.

By Evans Oct 26, 2020

A one-sided essay is like a beautiful dish with no flavor. Everyone looks at it, but nobody wants to partake of it. An essay presenting one side of a debate shows that you are not reasonable. Instead of persuading your readers, it ends up feeling like you’re just forcing an opinion on them. How do you change this? How do you make your essay interesting and persuasive? Counter argument! You heard me right. Using the counter argument is one of the best ways that you can strengthen your essay.

Before we proceed further, what exactly is a counter-argument? An academic essay means that you need to come up with a thesis, a strong one at that, and even stronger points that support that particular thesis . You also need to come up with an argument that opposes your thesis. This is what we call a counter-argument. It is basically, an argument that is against your thesis.

Are tight deadlines, clashing assignments, and unclear tasks giving you sleepless nights?

Do not panic, hire a professional essay writer today.

What is the purpose of a counter-argument?

When writing an essay, especially to persuade, you need to put yourself in the shoes of your readers. What are they likely to think about your thesis? How can they possibly argue against it? What questions might they have against the idea you are trying to sell to them? A counter-argument allows you to creatively and wisely respond to these questions. A counter-argument clears any doubts that your reader may have on your argument. It also shows them that you are the bigger person by actually addressing arguments against your thesis.

Counter argument examples

Let’s say your argument is about getting the patient to consent to it, rather than have the doctors decide on it.

A reader might argue: a patient may be too sickly to even consent for euthanasia.

Refutal: you can refute the counter-argument by proving that it is possible to get a patient in the right frame long enough to sign the consent form.

Overprotective parents

Argument: overprotective parents often treat their grown-up children like babies. As a result, these children grow to be very dependent on the parents and unable to make decisions on their own.

Counter-argument: parents have seen more than their children. Protecting them from the problems they encountered saves the children from getting hurt.

Refutal: Though parents think that shielding their grown children protects them from the dangerous world, they only end up protecting children from living. As a result, if such a child makes a mistake, it might be very hard for them to recover from it.

Getting a dog as a pet for young children

Argument: getting a dog as a pet for younger children is not a very good idea as children may not understand how to take care of the dog.

Counter-argument: having a pet teaches the children responsibility.

Rebuttal: While it is true that having a pet can teach kids how to become more responsible, the fact remains that taking care of a pet is a full-time job. A pet is not like a toy that you can discard when tired of it. Young kids may not have the stamina or the time to take care of a pet.

Exposure to technology

Argument: Technology provides children with an amazing learning experience. Children who have been exposed to technology learn pretty first how to deal and respond to different situations better than students who have no exposure to technology.

You may also like: How to write a technology essay: tips, topics, and examples

Counter argument: early exposure to entertainment and violence affects the cognitive skills of a child.

Rebuttal: Although some form of technology may affect the cognitive skills of a child, it doesn’t mean that children should be kept away from technology. There are learning programs that provide a better learning experience as compared to formal education. Doing away with technology is not the answer. The answer is controlling what children are exposed to.

Argument: taking part in elections is not only a right but a responsibility that every citizen should participate in.

Counter-argument: It is better not to vote than vote in a corrupt person.

Rebuttal: While you might feel like not taking part in the voting process keeps you from the guilt of choosing the wrong person, the truth is that you only give other people the right to choose for you. This means that if a corrupt person gets in, you’re still responsible for not voting for a better candidate.

Argument: Smoking should not be allowed on campuses.

Counter-argument: smoking is not illegal, especially to someone above 18 years old. Since it is not illegal, students should be allowed to smoke within the campus vicinity.

Rebuttal: indeed, smoking is not illegal. However, smoking on campus can prove to be fatal especially to students with health issues such as asthma. It is widely known that smoking affects not just the person holding the cigar but everyone else around them. Therefore, to keep students safe, smoking should not be allowed on campus.

Animal testing

Argument: animals should not be used as test subjects.

Counter-argument: animals happen to be the best test method for health products

Rebuttal: While it is true that over the years animals have been used as test subjects, it doesn’t change the fact that these tests often subject animals to excruciating pain. Research shows that there are better alternatives that can be used, thereby saving animals from unnecessary pain.

Cyberbullying

Argument: Cyberbullying is a serious issue and therefore it is very important to understand how to protect yourself from cyberbullies.

Counter-argument: the victims do not need to learn how to protect themselves and use the internet fearfully. The internet should be made secure for every user and all cyberbullying should be put to jail.

Rebuttal: nobody deserves to be afraid while using the internet. However, while it is a very good idea to have all cyberbullies jailed, that remains to be just a dream. This is because almost everyone can be a cyber-bully at one point or another. It, therefore, remains your responsibility to protect yourself and also learn how to handle cyberbullying.

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Final thoughts

As the examples show, a good persuasive essay should contain your thesis statement , a counter-argument, and a rebuttal of the counter-argument. This makes your essay strong, very persuasive, and with a very good flavor.

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One way to build credibility in crafting persuasive arguments is to make use of possible well-reasoned objections to your argument. Sometimes when we spend so much time coming up with a persuasive argument, we tend to want to avoid even acknowledging its possible flaws, for fear of weakening our stance. We may just avoid bringing them up altogether in order to ensure the apparent solidity of our argument. Even when we decide to reckon with possible objections, we tend to rely on one primary method of including them—the paragraph right before the conclusion in a five-paragraph essay. This can feel boring if you’ve been doing it for a long time. The good news is, there are actually more options available to you, and you should make a decision about which to use based on your argument’s audience and purpose.

General Considerations

A counterargument is a type of rebuttal..

Rebuttals are your way of acknowledging and dealing with objections to your argument, and they can take two different forms:

• Refutations: Refutations are an often more confrontational form of rebuttal that work by targeting the weaknesses in a possible objection to your argument. Think of refutations as the more sophisticated and mature older sibling of, “that’s not true!” Generally, they work by pointing out weaknesses with the solidity or rationale of the objection’s claim itself (what the objector says about the argument) or of its evidence (the support offered for the claim).
• Counterarguments: Counterarguments are a more cooperative form of rebuttal . In counterarguments, a writer acknowledges the strengths or validity of someone else’s argument, but then makes a case for why their approach is still the best/most effective/most viable

Incorporating counterarguments helps you build your credibility as a writer.

Once you learn how to seek out possible objections or counters to your own arguments and incorporate them fairly, you increase your power to build credibility with your readers. Refutations can feel satisfying (“No, you’re just wrong!”), and there are certainly situations in which they are the best or only ethical approach. However, most of the time counterarguments bring your readers to your side more effectively. This is because they are empathetic and invitational by nature (“I can see where in situation XYZ, what you suggest would make the most sense; however, in this situation, my approach works best because ABC…”)

In Practice

Rebuttals: not just for the penultimate paragraph anymore.

Structurally, incorporating rebuttals can be done in a few ways:

• The tried and true paragraph or section before the conclusion that explicitly addresses possible objections by acknowledging and then dispatching with them;
• A possible objection and response with for each claim in the essay; or
• An entire argument can even be structured as a rebuttal to someone else’s argument.

Seek out opposing views

1. What reasonable claims have others made that contradict your argument? If you don’t know any, FIND SOME. (We promise: they exist.) Write them down in complete sentences.

a. Try writing a refutation to the claims. Is there any way in which the claims themselves are weak? Articulate them. Are there underlying assumptions behind the claims that might be faulty? Articulate them.

b. Try writing a counterargument to the claims. In what conditions might the claims others make be justified? How so? How is this instance different from those conditions? Why does your claim make more sense here and now? Is there anything you can incorporate from those claims to strengthen your own?

2. If you were to launch your own rebuttal to your argument, what would that look like? How would you then overcome that rebuttal?

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4.5 Identifying Concessions and Counter Arguments

Learning objectives.

• Identify the parts of a reasonable concession
• Evaluate paragraphs for concessions
• Apply concession format to a series of sentences

Let’s take some time to learn how to concede logical points and then to counter them appropriately. These skills are INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. Oftentimes, only the strongest and most confident writers can write in a concession-style. Your use of concession-style thesis statements, and concessions throughout a response, signals to your readers that you are a confident and capable writer and critical thinker. Concessions are invaluable to DISCOURSE and DIALOGUE, the two most important parts of responsible argumentation.

The purpose behind this chapter and its activities is to teach you how to concede strong points, and more importantly, how to counter them effectively.  Students new to writing arguments often think that including concessions will weaken their argument or that a reader will be more likely to agree with them if they pretend that no weaknesses exist in the argument. This assumption is untrue. In fact, your willingness to admit where the prompt writer’s argument has value and either present an extension of that argument or move it in a different direction is really impressive.

What is more, you will be learning to grow comfortable in conceding that your own argument might have limitations. All arguments have limitations, whether they belong to a prompt writer or to you. Remember the final instruction given to you before all prompt responses?

Your essay should also consider at least one objection a reader might have to  your  argument. You may respond to this objection in different ways. For example, you may argue against the objection, or you may acknowledge that the objection is a good point and incorporate it into your argument. It’s up to you.

At a very basic level, the purpose behind learning counter-arguments is because the prompt instructions on each prompt ask you to do so.  The goal of that instruction is to teach you how to strengthen your argument.  Acknowledging weaker points (or strong points from your opposition) makes your writing more compelling because it demonstrates to your reader that 1) you have actually considered the topic without making snap judgments, and 2) you are not hiding the weaknesses of your argument from your reader, hoping that they will miss them.

More importantly, it creates an honest relationship between you and your reader, which is essential because some audiences will know something about the topic of your argument already, and they could have oppositions to offer.  Ultimately, you need to learn how to concede and counter in writing because you cannot respond to a reader’s objections verbally, as you might in a conversation.  The greater challenge is to anticipate the objections and respond to them before they come up. This strategy is akin to an artist writing a diss track in which they not only identify faults in their rival, but also in themselves. What ammunition is left for their rival in response? When you “anticipate and defend,” there is little left for the opposition. It is a proven strategy.

To begin the process, we need to understand how to make reasonable concessions first.  It’s likely that you may have already learned how to make one of these two types of concessions early in your WRIT course, but let’s look over them again.

First, read the following prompt below.  You can also Download a PDF version , if you prefer.

Drink Your Way to Success Randolph Hennepin

The following editorial appeared in the May/June 2014 issue of Today’s Student

     Success in just about any profession often depends on a person’s ability to network, and to develop contacts. A prime way to network is over drinks. In fact, a person who does not drink is less likely to be successful than one who does . Students who spend time drinking rather than studying are ensuring their eventual success.

     Facts are facts. A recent study “found drinkers earn between 10 and 14 per cent more than non-drinkers.” Further, according to the same study, men who go to a bar at least once a month earn an additional 7 per cent. The reason for the success of drinkers, according to the author of the study, is that “Social drinking builds social capital. Social drinkers are networking, building relationships and adding contacts to their [phones] that result in bigger paycheques.”

     Perhaps this study is not good news for people who do not drink. Perhaps these people feel that there are other ways to develop contacts, such as getting involved in charitable organizations or meeting colleagues for breakfast instead of in a bar after work. While these strategies do have merit, neither is as effective as the social networking that occurs while drinking.

     In fact, a reasonable conclusion from this study would be to encourage students to learn how to drink. Knowing how to drink without embarrassing oneself is a key skill in business, as the above study proves. Therefore, students should not feel guilty about spending evenings drinking instead of working or studying, since drinking will lead to their eventual success. Students should not focus on school other than to do well enough to pass; otherwise, they are doomed to earn less than their peers who put their study time to good use by hitting the bottle.

Now, look at these straightforward responses to the prompt and determine which one uses a  general concession,  and which one uses a  specific concession .

• Introduction: Version 1
• Introduction: Version 2

Activity 1: Identifying Concessions

Which introduction in the above example uses a more specific concession? Vote on your choice below and then view the results. Click  the accordion below to learn more.

The next section includes practice activities for concessions and counterarguments.

Putting the Pieces Together Copyright © 2020 by Andrew Stracuzzi and André Cormier is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Persuasive Essay Examples (With Counterarguments!)

• Author: Alex Hills

Struggling to get started on your persuasive essay?

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How to Write a Persuasive Essay

Before you try to write your persuasive essay, you must understand what exactly a persuasive essay is . What are the goals of a persuasive essay? Why are you writing the essay in the first place?

A persuasive essay/article provides a view or opinion on a given subject matter in an attempt to convince the reader of the essay to agree with you. You are trying to persuade them to your way of thinking, which can be easily done if you have a well-laid-out essay with strong arguments. In addition, providing counterarguments shows the reader that you have already thought about the flaws and any possible weaknesses in your arguments.

The first few lines of your essay should be used to describe the purpose of this persuasive essay or article. "I was assigned this essay as homework" isn't a good enough reason; what I mean is that you need to deliver your thesis statement . Then, continue by summarizing the content of the essay.

Writing the introduction should help you brainstorm what you want to talk about in the essay. If things change as you actually write the essay, you can always update the intro later.

Now, we move onto the body of the essay.

Essay Examples (With Counterarguments)

Persuasive essays are made to try to persuade your readers to agree with you. However, as the reader or essay marker is reading what you have to say, it is human nature to come up with problems of your arguments.

An example of a persuasive essay and its subsequent counterargument could look like this:

Thesis statement : The Government should allow refugees to live in our country if they risked their lives trying to get here and have nowhere else to go.

Your Argument: It is a humane and ethical thing to do. It could also make the country look more friendly and respected by other countries.

Counterargument : However, this could also make the country look weak. Allowing excess illegal immigrants in would have plenty of problems with immigration law and is not fair for other countless thousands of immigrants who have unsuccessfully applied even though they went through the suggested legal process. Would this encourage those people to forcibly risk their lives to immigrate instead?

As you can see, providing a counterargument to your own argument can further help persuade the grader toward your goal because they will understand that you have also thought and solved many of the possible problems that could arise from your suggested solutions.

Essay writing process

Essay Examples for Middle School

Persuasive essays at the middle school level can draw upon many of the issues seen through middle school. Think about the average middle schooler: What controversial issues might they have?

By choosing these relevant topics for your environment and age group, it is much easier to draw upon your own experience or the experience of friends in order to write an excellent persuasive essay.

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An example of a persuasive essay for the middle school level would be:

Topic : Bullying

Your argument and opinion : Bullies should be ALL punished and kicked out of school.

Opposing Argument : By kicking them out of school instead of helping and directing them toward the right path, they will keep getting worse until it's too late. This will simply shift the problem from bullying within the school to bullying outside the school, too.

As you can see, support your argument, but also provide a counterargument that your readers and essay markers could think of. Maybe your solution to the problem will indeed solve the problem, but because of your solution, another problem might arise. Understand the issue from your reader's point of view and then target each issue with a well-structured argument, and you will guarantee to have the best persuasive essay in the entire class!

Like a debate, be prepared with counterarguments

Persuasive Essay Examples for High School

Writing a persuasive essay for high school will demand a much higher level of quality and topic. This demands a much more ethical-related topic that doesn't exactly have a right or wrong answer. Look in newspapers for controversial topics that are hard to take sides on. The most successful persuasive essays in high schools are ones that can make the reader and essay marker feel your passion and allow them to think about the topic themselves. Topics like this could include areas revolving around abortion, racism, or ethical topics such as euthanasia and the purposeful killing of someone to end their pain.

An example of a high school-level persuasive essay could look like this:

Thesis statement : Euthanasia should be allowed

Argument : Ending a loved one's life in order to ease their pain should be allowed if the patient had consented.

Counterargument : Allowing someone to murder another living human being is illegal. Even if the patient has consented to having their life ended, would this simply allow suicidal people to give consent for others to kill them? Where would the line be drawn?

It's clear that the level of arguments and topics has become a lot harder at the high school level. But by providing a well-laid-out argument and evidence of counterarguments and the possible issues that will arise, you will be sure to impress any essay marker or reader.

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Abbyfitz from Florida on November 17, 2012:

Very informative hub. I needed you when I was in high school lol

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• How to write an argumentative essay | Examples & tips

How to Write an Argumentative Essay | Examples & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An argumentative essay expresses an extended argument for a particular thesis statement . The author takes a clearly defined stance on their subject and builds up an evidence-based case for it.

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Table of contents

When do you write an argumentative essay, approaches to argumentative essays, introducing your argument, the body: developing your argument, concluding your argument, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about argumentative essays.

You might be assigned an argumentative essay as a writing exercise in high school or in a composition class. The prompt will often ask you to argue for one of two positions, and may include terms like “argue” or “argument.” It will frequently take the form of a question.

The prompt may also be more open-ended in terms of the possible arguments you could make.

Argumentative writing at college level

At university, the vast majority of essays or papers you write will involve some form of argumentation. For example, both rhetorical analysis and literary analysis essays involve making arguments about texts.

In this context, you won’t necessarily be told to write an argumentative essay—but making an evidence-based argument is an essential goal of most academic writing, and this should be your default approach unless you’re told otherwise.

Examples of argumentative essay prompts

At a university level, all the prompts below imply an argumentative essay as the appropriate response.

Your research should lead you to develop a specific position on the topic. The essay then argues for that position and aims to convince the reader by presenting your evidence, evaluation and analysis.

• Don’t just list all the effects you can think of.
• Do develop a focused argument about the overall effect and why it matters, backed up by evidence from sources.
• Don’t just provide a selection of data on the measures’ effectiveness.
• Do build up your own argument about which kinds of measures have been most or least effective, and why.
• Don’t just analyze a random selection of doppelgänger characters.
• Do form an argument about specific texts, comparing and contrasting how they express their thematic concerns through doppelgänger characters.

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An argumentative essay should be objective in its approach; your arguments should rely on logic and evidence, not on exaggeration or appeals to emotion.

There are many possible approaches to argumentative essays, but there are two common models that can help you start outlining your arguments: The Toulmin model and the Rogerian model.

Toulmin arguments

The Toulmin model consists of four steps, which may be repeated as many times as necessary for the argument:

• Make a claim
• Provide the grounds (evidence) for the claim
• Explain the warrant (how the grounds support the claim)
• Discuss possible rebuttals to the claim, identifying the limits of the argument and showing that you have considered alternative perspectives

The Toulmin model is a common approach in academic essays. You don’t have to use these specific terms (grounds, warrants, rebuttals), but establishing a clear connection between your claims and the evidence supporting them is crucial in an argumentative essay.

Say you’re making an argument about the effectiveness of workplace anti-discrimination measures. You might:

• Claim that unconscious bias training does not have the desired results, and resources would be better spent on other approaches
• Cite data to support your claim
• Explain how the data indicates that the method is ineffective
• Anticipate objections to your claim based on other data, indicating whether these objections are valid, and if not, why not.

Rogerian arguments

The Rogerian model also consists of four steps you might repeat throughout your essay:

• Discuss what the opposing position gets right and why people might hold this position
• Highlight the problems with this position
• Present your own position , showing how it addresses these problems
• Suggest a possible compromise —what elements of your position would proponents of the opposing position benefit from adopting?

This model builds up a clear picture of both sides of an argument and seeks a compromise. It is particularly useful when people tend to disagree strongly on the issue discussed, allowing you to approach opposing arguments in good faith.

Say you want to argue that the internet has had a positive impact on education. You might:

• Acknowledge that students rely too much on websites like Wikipedia
• Argue that teachers view Wikipedia as more unreliable than it really is
• Suggest that Wikipedia’s system of citations can actually teach students about referencing
• Suggest critical engagement with Wikipedia as a possible assignment for teachers who are skeptical of its usefulness.

You don’t necessarily have to pick one of these models—you may even use elements of both in different parts of your essay—but it’s worth considering them if you struggle to structure your arguments.

Regardless of which approach you take, your essay should always be structured using an introduction , a body , and a conclusion .

Like other academic essays, an argumentative essay begins with an introduction . The introduction serves to capture the reader’s interest, provide background information, present your thesis statement , and (in longer essays) to summarize the structure of the body.

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a typical introduction works.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

The body of an argumentative essay is where you develop your arguments in detail. Here you’ll present evidence, analysis, and reasoning to convince the reader that your thesis statement is true.

In the standard five-paragraph format for short essays, the body takes up three of your five paragraphs. In longer essays, it will be more paragraphs, and might be divided into sections with headings.

Each paragraph covers its own topic, introduced with a topic sentence . Each of these topics must contribute to your overall argument; don’t include irrelevant information.

This example paragraph takes a Rogerian approach: It first acknowledges the merits of the opposing position and then highlights problems with that position.

Hover over different parts of the example to see how a body paragraph is constructed.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An argumentative essay ends with a conclusion that summarizes and reflects on the arguments made in the body.

No new arguments or evidence appear here, but in longer essays you may discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your argument and suggest topics for future research. In all conclusions, you should stress the relevance and importance of your argument.

Hover over the following example to see the typical elements of a conclusion.

The internet has had a major positive impact on the world of education; occasional pitfalls aside, its value is evident in numerous applications. The future of teaching lies in the possibilities the internet opens up for communication, research, and interactivity. As the popularity of distance learning shows, students value the flexibility and accessibility offered by digital education, and educators should fully embrace these advantages. The internet’s dangers, real and imaginary, have been documented exhaustively by skeptics, but the internet is here to stay; it is time to focus seriously on its potential for good.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

The majority of the essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Unless otherwise specified, you can assume that the goal of any essay you’re asked to write is argumentative: To convince the reader of your position using evidence and reasoning.

In composition classes you might be given assignments that specifically test your ability to write an argumentative essay. Look out for prompts including instructions like “argue,” “assess,” or “discuss” to see if this is the goal.

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Parts of an Argumentative Essay | Claim, Counterclaim & Examples

Rebecca Simon is an ELA and social studies Master Teacher. She is certified to teach 6-12 grade ELA. She has an M.A. in Professional Writing and Rhetoric from the University of New Orleans and a B.A. in Literary Studies.

Kimberly has taught Reading/Language Arts to intermediate and middle school students and holds a Master's Degree.

What is the function of a claim?

The function of a claim is to provide the author's argument. The overall claim for an essay is also known as the thesis and can be found in the introduction of the essay. Sometimes, an author breaks their overall claim, or thesis, into smaller claims called sub-claims.

What is the main purpose of a counterclaim?

The main purpose of a counterclaim is to address the opposite side of the argument and provide a rebuttal. A rebuttal is when the author disproves an argument. So, not only does the author work on proving their claim, but they work on disproving the counterclaim or opposition's argument.

What are the 4 parts of an argumentative essay?

The 4 parts of an argumentative essay are the claim, counterclaim, reasoning, and evidence. The claim is the author's argument that they are attempting to prove in the essay. The counterclaim is the opposite argument which the author addresses in order provide a rebuttal. The reasoning is the logic used to prove a claim. The evidence is the facts, data, and quoted experts used to provide support for the reasoning.

What is an example of a counterclaim?

A counterclaim is an argument that argues in opposition to the author's claim. An effective counterclaim works to disagree with and disprove the author's claim. If the author's claim is that organ selling should be legalized, an example of an effective counterclaim would be that organ selling should not be legalized because it can drive up the cost of organ transplants, meaning that only the rich could afford to receive a transplant.

This counterclaim both disagrees with the claim and disproves it with on-topic reasoning.

What is the structure of argumentative essay?

There are three parts of the structure of an argumentative essay: introduction, body, and conclusion. For a standard 5-paragraph essay, the introduction is one paragraph and contains the thesis statement, or overall claim for the essay. The body of the essay is three paragraphs and contains the author's reasoning, evidence, and counterclaims. The conclusion of the essay is one paragraph and contains an overarching summary of the argument as well as any implications this argument may have moving forward.

Table of Contents

Parts of an argumentative essay, what is the function of a claim in an argument, what is a counterclaim in writing, components of an argument: reasons and evidence, claim and counterclaim structure, claim and counterclaim examples, lesson summary.

An argumentative essay is an essay in which the writer tries to persuade a particular audience that their claim or point of view is correct. An effective argumentative essay utilizes the following four components of an argument:

• counterclaims

The claim is the author's central argument that they are trying to persuade the audience to believe. Counterclaims are arguments of the opposing side which the author will address. Reasoning is the author's logic used to support and prove their claims. Evidence is sourced facts, statistics, data, or quoted experts the author uses to provide factual support for their claims and reasoning.

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• 0:03 Parts of an Arguement
• 0:25 Claims
• 1:17 Counterclaims
• 2:10 Reasons
• 3:08 Evidence
• 4:43 Lesson Summary

A claim is an argument in statement form. The central or overall claim of an argumentative essay is also known as the thesis. After providing the thesis in the introduction, the author then spends the entire essay working to prove that claim through sub-claims (the central claim broken down into smaller chunks), reasoning, and evidence.

There are four types of argumentative claims: claims of fact, claims of value, claims of policy, and claims of cause and effect. Under each type of claim is an example of that claim on the topic of capital punishment. Note that the only factual claim on the topic is the claim of fact. The three other claims are up for debate and need to be supported by a lot more reasoning and evidence in order to persuade an audience to believe the argument.

Claims of Fact

A claim of fact (or a factual claim) is a claim arguing that something is or is not true. Claims of fact make assertions that can be proven or disproven with evidence.

• Less than 20 inmates were executed in the United States in 2020.

Claims of Value

A claim of value makes a judgement on something's worth, morality, or merit.

• The death penalty is unethical.

Claims of Policy

A claim of policy is an argument in support of, in opposition or, or for the alteration of an existing policy, law, or mandate.

• The United States should ban capital punishment.

Claims of Cause and Effect

A claim of cause and effect is a claim that one thing influences or affects another.

• The existence of capital punishment deters violent crimes,

A counterclaim is the argument opposing the author's claim. An effective argumentative essay will bring up counterclaims for two reasons:

• Bringing up counterclaims provides the author with a sense of credibility , thereby utilizing the rhetorical appeal of ethos. Rhetoric, being the art of persuasion, is a key component of any argumentative essay. Counterclaims provide credibility because it shows that not only is the author well-researched in the subject as they have proved to have researched all sides of it, but it shows that the author is not trying to hide possible information from the audience. They are being upfront with the audience about all sides of the issue, and are therefore more credible or believable.
• Bringing up counterclaims allows the author to provide a rebuttal . A rebuttal is an argument or evidence used to disprove an argument. By bringing up a counterclaim, the author is then able to disprove the counterclaim within their own argument.

An effective counterclaim will both disagree with and disprove a claim.

If the claim is that the United States should ban capital punishment, an effective counterclaim would be that the United States should not ban capital punishment because capital punishment provides a sense of closure for the families of the victims of violent crimes. This is an effective counterclaim because it disagrees with the claim (stating that it should not be banned) and provides reasoning that disproves it (that it provides closure).

Two key components of an argumentative essay are the reasons and evidence .

The reasons of an argument are the reasoning or logical proof provided to prove the argument. The reasons can also be thought of as the "why" behind a claim. Taking the policy claim from earlier, if an author is arguing that the United States should ban capital punishment, their reasons would be the reasons why they believe this is the case. For example, one popular reason in support of the claim about banning capital punishment is that capital punishment costs taxpayers more than life in prison. The reason "capital punishment costs taxpayers more than life in prison" answers "why" capital punishment should be banned. Reasons for a claim can also be written as a "because" statement with the claim: the United States should ban capital punishment because capital punishment costs taxpayers more than life in prison. Good reasoning for a claim is on topic, logically sound, factual, and can be supported by evidence.

Evidence provides factual proof for the reasons in an argument and can consist of facts, data, statistics, published study results, and quoted experts. In order for evidence to be reliable, it must come from a credible source that is current, nonbiased, provides researched sources, and (preferably) peer-reviewed. When providing evidence to support reasoning, always make sure that the evidence comes from a credible source and that it is directly relevant to the reasoning.

Working with the above claim and reasoning (the United States should ban capital punishment because capital punishment costs taxpayers more than life in prison), below is an example of strong evidence and weak evidence to support the claim and reason.

Strong Evidence

"Florida has estimated that the true cost of each execution is approximately $3.2 million, or approximately six times what it would cost to keep that person in prison for all of his or her natural life" (Spangenberg and Walsh 15).

• This above quote is an example of strong evidence because it directly relates to the claim and reasoning, providing factual evidence of the actual cost of capital punishment versus life in prison. Additionally, it comes from a credible source: an academic paper from the Loyola Law Review .

Weak Evidence

"In addition to wasting lives, the death penalty also wastes money. Contrary to conventional wisdom, it's much more costly to execute a person than to imprison them for life" (Andre and Velasquez).

• While this quote is from a credible source (Markkula Center for Applied Ethics), it merely restates the claim and reasoning, rather than providing actual evidence to support it.

"The demographics of the death row population show a racial bias as well. 42% of the inmates are black, although African-Americans only account for 12.5% of the U.S. population" (Walter).

• While this quote is from a credible source (Carolina Justice Policy Center) and provides factual evidence, the evidence is not relevant to the specific claim and reasoning provided. The reasoning is about the cost of the death penalty, while the evidence is about racial disparities in the implementation of the death penalty.

Argumentative essays have a basic structure that allows some room for the author's discretion. In a standard, five-paragraph argumentative essay, there are three sections, each with their own components.

• Introduction--The introduction of a five-paragraph essay is one paragraph. It contains a hook or way of gathering the audience's attention. The hook should be on-topic and supportive of the author's argument. After the hook, there is a transition statement (or statements) that connects the hook to the author's thesis. Finally, in the introduction is the thesis (claim). The thesis provides the main argument for the essay as well as an outline for the rest of the essay.
• Body--The body of a five-paragraph essay is three paragraphs. These paragraphs contain the author's sub-claims/reasoning, counterclaims, and evidence. Here is where the author has a bit of discretion over how to organize their essay. The body can be organized by reasoning, with the author providing three reasons as the topic sentences for the three paragraphs, then using further reasoning and evidence to prove the topic sentence. In this method, the author would address the counterclaims within each of the body paragraphs. Another way to organize the body of the essay is to spend two paragraphs discussing reasons and providing evidence for support and using the third body paragraph to address a counterclaim. This provides more room to address the counterclaim and apply a rebuttal of the counterclaim.
• Conclusion--The conclusion of a five-paragraph essay is one paragraph. The conclusion should sum up the author's entire argument from the essay. Additionally, the conclusion of an argumentative essay should look to the future. A good conclusion for an argumentative essay should address at least one of the following:
• What implications does the argument have for various stakeholders? For the audience?
• Are there predictions to be made about future developments of this issue?
• Is there a solution for how to address or resolve the issue going forward?

Below is an example of an effective claim, supported by reason and on-topic, credible evidence, followed by an effective counterclaim that disagrees with and disproves the claim through its own reasoning, evidence to support the counterclaims, as well as an effective rebuttal to the counterclaim with evidence of its own. Note that every step of the argument is supported by credible evidence.

• Claim : The United States should ban capital punishment.
• Reasoning : Capital punishment costs more than life in prison.
• Evidence : "Florida has estimated that the true cost of each execution is approximately $3.2 million, or approximately six times what it would cost to

keep that person in prison for all of his or her natural life" (Spangenberg and Walsh 15).

• Counterclaim : The United States should not ban capital punishment.
• Reason : Capital punishment provides a sense of justice for the victim's family.
• Evidence : "Justice requires that society impose on criminals losses equal to those they imposed on innocent persons. By inflicting death on those who deliberately inflict death on others, the death penalty ensures justice for all" (Andre and Velasquez).
• Rebuttal : While capital punishment can provide a sense of justice, it has been the case that innocent people have been executed through capital punishment, denying both the family of the victim true justice as well as creating a new victim through the court's faulty ruling; therefore, capital punishment actually adds to the injustice of the original crime.
• Evidence : "Since 1973, 186 former death-row prisoners have been exonerated of all charges related to the wrongful convictions that had put them on death row" ("Innocence").

An argumentative essay is an essay in which the author makes a claim (argument) and then attempts to persuade their audience to believe their claim through reasons, evidence, and the addressing of counterclaims. The standard format for an argumentative essay is as follows:

• Introduction (1 paragraph that contains the claim)
• Body Paragraphs (3 paragraphs that contain the reasons, evidence, and counterclaims)
• Conclusion (sums up the entire argument and provides a look to the future)

An effective argument contains all of the necessary components (claim, reasons, evidence, counterclaims) while keeping the intended audience in mind.

Video Transcript

Parts of an argument.

How would you like to be able to win any argument? Today we're going to learn about the parts of an argument necessary to win one! The purpose of an argument , whether it's in a paper or a speech, is to convince or persuade. The main parts of an argument are:

Counterclaims

'Mom, I really need a new cell phone!' If you've ever said this or something like it, you've made a claim. Making a claim is just a fancy way of saying that you're stating your main point. In a formal paper, you might say something like, 'It is necessary for me to obtain a new cell phone.' Claims are not just opinions. A claim tells what you think is true about a topic based on your knowledge and your research. If you're ever going to convince your mom to get that new cell phone that's just perfect for you, you're going to have to move beyond mere opinions. You're going to need to support your claim to get rid of that crummy, old, obsolete phone that's holding you back.

But there are two sides to every argument. In your argument for a new cell phone, your mom stands on the other side. She has something to say against your claim that you need a new cell phone, and it goes something like, 'No, you don't.'

That's your mom's counterclaim. A counterclaim is just the opposite of a claim. In a more formal way, she might say, 'Your current situation does not require a new cell phone.' Counterclaims are also provable and supportable by reasons and evidence. Not just, 'Because I said so.' When you're planning an argument, you need to know what the counterclaim might be so that you can make sure that you disprove it with your reasons and evidence.

After your mom's counterclaim, she'll probably ask, 'Why is it that you think you need a new cell phone?'

Then it's time for the reasons you've prepared well in advance, because you know exactly what she'll ask. 'My cell phone doesn't have Internet access.'

That's a reason. A reason tells why. A reason makes someone care and tells the importance of the claim and the argument. 'Because I said so,' doesn't work, and 'Just because,' doesn't work - until you're a parent. In an argument, your, 'My cell phone doesn't have Internet access,' would need to be beefed up a little, to, 'My current cell phone doesn't provide Internet access, which is necessary for me to complete all my homework.' That is provable, because your phone is so old it barely has texting!

After giving your reason, if your mom is anything like mine, she'll probably say, 'So?' Then, it's time for your evidence, which, again, you have thoughtfully and thoroughly prepared. You really want a new cell phone, after all. Knowing that your mom could care less about the newest games, appeal to what she thinks is important - your grades. 'My friends that have Internet access make the Honor Roll.'

That's evidence. Evidence tells your reader how your claim is proved. If you've ever watched a detective show, then you know evidence. It's how the detective is able to put the criminal in jail. Evidence is usually some kind of research. In the detective show, evidence is usually physical - like DNA or fingerprints.

In our example, you would need to give or cite some concrete evidence like, 'According to research, students with Internet access on their phones are more likely to make the Honor Roll.' Evidence should be from a source that's reliable, and it makes your argument even better if you have evidence from multiple sources. When you're preparing an argument, make sure to note where you got your evidence. Not only will people need to know where you got your evidence, they might even want to see it. If I told my mom that bit about the Internet access and the Honor Roll, you can bet she would make me prove it by showing it to her.

Your argument can be summed up quickly. Your claim is that you need a new cell phone. Your mom's counterclaim is that you don't need one. Your reason is because yours doesn't have Internet access, and your evidence says that students with Internet access make better grades.

So, there you have it - the four parts of an argument: claims, counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. A claim is the main argument. A counterclaim is the opposite of the argument, or the opposing argument. A reason tells why the claim is made and is supported by the evidence. Evidence is the facts or research to support your claim. I hope you win your next argument!

Learning Outcomes

Following this lesson, you should be able to:

• Identify the purpose of an argument
• Describe the four main parts of an argument
• Explain why it is important to develop each of these parts in an argument

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Rough Drafts: The Transformative Impact of Technology on Education

The evolution of technology has permeated every aspect of our lives, and the field of education is no exception. As we navigate the 21st century, the integration of technology into education is reshaping traditional paradigms. This essay explores the profound impact of technology on education, examining the implementation of personalized learning, the enhancement of teaching efficiency, and the global accessibility of education.

Technology’s Impact on Education: Personalized Learning (Argument 1):

In the realm of education, personalized learning emerges as a groundbreaking paradigm facilitated by technological advancements. The utilization of innovative technologies tailors educational experiences to individual student needs. With the application of adaptive learning platforms and artificial intelligence, students can progress at their own pace, focusing on areas of weakness and accelerating through familiar concepts. This individualized approach not only caters to diverse learning styles but also fosters a deeper understanding of subjects.

Counter Argument 1: Concerns about Unemployment

However, this shift towards personalized learning raises concerns about potential unemployment among educators. The fear is that automation might replace traditional teaching roles. To address this, it is crucial to invest in training programs that empower educators to adapt and integrate technology effectively. By embracing a collaborative model, where technology augments rather than replaces human instructors, we can strike a balance between innovation and job preservation.

Technology’s Impact on Education: Enhanced Teaching Efficiency (Argument 2):

The integration of technology in education extends beyond personalized learning to enhance overall teaching efficiency. Online resources, interactive multimedia, and automated assessment tools contribute to a dynamic and engaging learning environment. Educators can leverage a wealth of digital materials to supplement traditional teaching methods, providing students with a rich and varied educational experience.

Counter Argument 2: Dependency on Technology

Despite these advantages, concerns linger about the overreliance on technology in the learning process. Students may become dependent on digital tools, potentially hindering the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Striking a balance between technology and traditional teaching methods is imperative to ensure a holistic and well-rounded education.

Sokolov, M. (2001). Technology’s impact on society: The issue of mass-customized education.  Technological Forecasting and Social Change ,  68 (2), 195-206.

Peters, M. A. (2019). Technological unemployment: Educating for the fourth industrial revolution. In  The Chinese dream: Educating the future  (pp. 99-107). Routledge.

Schmid, R. F., Bernard, R. M., Borokhovski, E., Tamim, R., Abrami, P. C., Wade, C. A., … & Lowerison, G. (2009). Technology’s effect on achievement in higher education: a Stage I meta-analysis of classroom applications.  Journal of computing in higher education ,  21 , 95-109.

Altbach, P. G. (1977). Servitude of the Mind?: Education, Dependency, and Neocolonialism.  Teachers College Record ,  79 (2), 1-11.

Nordlöf, C., Hallström, J., & Höst, G. E. (2019). Self-efficacy or context dependency?: Exploring teachers’ perceptions of and attitudes towards technology education.  International Journal of Technology and Design Education ,  29 (1), 123-141.

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To Ban or Not to Ban? Educators, Parents, and Students Weigh In on Cellphones

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One reason policing cellphones in schools is so challenging is because of stakeholders’ varying opinions on their presence in the classroom, along with different views on how the problem should be dealt with—if at all.

Simultaneously taking into account the interests of students, parents, and teachers in crafting cellphone policies has proven to be a challenge. For example, while teachers may want the constant distractions of cellphones—and the hundreds of notifications they deliver each day —removed, parents may desire the security of reaching their children at any time.

Various educators have outwardly opposed the use of cellphones in classrooms, citing students’ inability to remain focused while having access to their devices. Yet educators are still divided on banning cellphones in the classroom altogether.

Education Week has spoken with many school community members, from superintendents to students, to hear their points of view. Here, we share some of the major themes that have emerged from their comments and thoughts—from Education Week reporting and recent surveys from the EdWeek Research Center.

Teachers find cellphones a major classroom distraction

According to an October 2023 EdWeek Research Center survey , 24 percent of teachers thought cellphones should be banned from school campuses altogether. The growing push to restrict cellphones at school has come amid increasing concerns about and studies pointing to children’s deteriorating mental health in connection to smartphone and social media use .

Kelly Chevalier, a science teacher at Crown Point High School in northwest Indiana, told Education Week in April that her students are constantly on their phones —be it for messaging their friends, Googling information, or just playing games—describing their use as “an addiction.”

The idea of being without their phone for three hours—it literally causes some of them physiological anxiety.

As part of that October survey by the EdWeek Research Center, over 200 educators used an open-ended question to vent about their growing concerns over cellphones.

Some compared students’ use of cellphones to an addiction or described circumstances in which students became panicked over having their cellphones taken from them .

It’s impossible as a teacher to compete with the allure and addiction to the cellphone. It’s constantly alerting them, pinging, chiming, and crying for their attention.

Administrators agree banning phones on campus, some concerned with social media’s impact on student well-being

According to the EdWeek Research Center’s survey, 21 percent of principals agreed that cellphones should be banned on campus, as well as 14 percent of district leaders.

A 2022 Nature Communications study of over 17,000 teenagers and young adults suggests middle school students, in particular, are more vulnerable to the negative effects of social media.

Students have made their voices heard on the negative impacts of social media, from worsening grades to cyberbullying . Charles Longshore, assistant principal of Dothan Preparatory Academy in Dothan, Ala., has seen it firsthand with his 7th and 8th grade students.

Longshore blames cellphones for “seriously undermining” the climate of his school, causing him to spend more of his time dealing with phone-related disciplinary referrals and arguments. As a result, Longshore supports barring students from cellphone use during school hours.

Our population being in that rough transitional phase in their lives in general, what their minds are going through, their bodies are going through, socially what they are going through, [cellphones] were the ultimate distraction.

The school’s ban on cellphones stemmed from the serious distractions they presented for students in the classroom and on campus.

Social media is an important aspect of the cellphone use debate largely because, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey , 58 percent of teens ages 13-17 use TikTok daily, and around 50 percent use Snapchat and Instagram daily. As Dothan, Ala. administrators have seen , social media has become a source of public embarrassment and bullying among students.

In fact, a 2024 EdWeek Research Center survey found that 92 percent of educators believe social media has a somewhat negative to very negative impact on how students treat others in real life.

Students and parents weigh in on cellphone and social media bans

While many educators openly oppose students’ use of cellphones at school, some parents and students believe avoiding or restricting cellphone use may actually hurt students’ emotional and academic development.

Ava Havidic, a recent graduate of Millennium 6-12 Collegiate Academy in Tamarac, Fla., and a student facilitator for the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ Student Leadership Network on Mental Health, believes preparing students for the future does not require banning their use of cellphones and social media.

Whether we put bans on social media, it's just going to make it harder for them to face those challenges in the future. For example, if they don't have access to [phones] in class, what about in college when they have the freedom to do that?

Trent Bowers, superintendent of the Worthington district in the Columbus, Ohio, metro area is a father of three and believes teachers and parents should have more engagement in crafting new policies. But he does agree with the positive implications of a cellphone ban.

As a dad of three daughters, one still in high school, I see real pluses and minuses for the time they spend on phones. Speaking as a dad, I wouldn't have minded for them not to have the ability to be on phones for six or seven hours a day because it would've just given them a break from that.

Some teachers and experts believe in a more balanced approach to cellphone bans

With rising phone ownership among students ages 8-18, some teachers don’t believe in challenging the use of cellphones in school.

Nicole Clemens, an English teacher at a central Missouri high school, believes educators need to come to terms with coexisting with phones. While Clemens teaches at the same high school her daughter went to in June 2022, she still finds it comforting to be able to reach her through a text.

There are so many teachers who are anti-cellphone, and I just think that that ship has sailed. You don’t have to like them, but you do have to figure out how to coexist with them.

Clemens believes students should be taught the importance of using their devices responsibly , instead of having them completely taken away.

According to research by Common Sense Media , 43 percent of children ages 8-12, and 88-95 percent of teenagers age 13-18 own a smartphone. In fact, about half of children in the United States own a smartphone by the time they are 11.

Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician and the director of the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital, is concerned with cellphones being too much of a distraction, but believes schools should avoid banning them, as such a move can feel “threatening to parents” who want to be in contact with their children during school hours.

They’re building their own society. If you have Mom or Dad in your head all day long, [adolescents] never get to learn or practice taking care of themselves or being themselves in that environment.

Rich suggests a cellphone-free environment for students, without the restrictions of a ban, which could spark resistance from parents.

David Yeager, a psychology professor at the University of Texas at Austin, believes the struggle between educators and students over cellphones is making the problem worse. He said it’s important for educators to understand why cellphones and social media are so alluring to the adolescent brain.

If adults learn to see teenagers’ phone use in a more compassionate way, that our entire economy has squeezed this huge source of information about their social well-being into this tiny device, it’s totally reasonable for them to pay attention to that device.

Yeager also believes a ban is unnecessary and that “empathy from educators can go a long way,” given the idea that cellphone use is constantly seen as a sign of defiance or a student’s lack of impulse control .

A Colorado high school lifted its ban on cellphones and has decided to incorporate the devices into instruction. Chris Page, principal of Highlands Ranch High School in Highlands Ranch, Colo., feels cellphones present useful educational opportunities for students and educators.

There are 100,000 ways that kids use their cellphones and the other half of this is that it’s hard to tell a kid not to use their cellphone when the adult in front of them has to use theirs. We decided we just weren’t going to fight that fight anymore.

While Page encourages the students’ use of cellphones in the classroom, teachers create their own rules regarding their use. Page believes it’s his school’s responsibility to teach students how to manage their cellphone use to prepare them for college and work.

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Critic's Notebook

Shrink the Economy, Save the World?

Economic growth has been ecologically costly — and so a movement in favor of ‘degrowth’ is growing.

Credit... By Timo Lenzen

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By Jennifer Szalai

• June 8, 2024

A rising tide and a bigger pie: Economic growth has long been considered such an obvious boon that it’s pursued by governments across the world as a matter of course. But in 2016, when a London professor warned an audience in Newcastle that Brexit would lead to a precipitous drop in Britain’s gross domestic product, that well-worn measure of economic activity, one woman’s heckling caught him by surprise. “That’s your bloody G.D.P.,” she shouted, “not ours!”

The eruption tapped into a suspicion supported by reality: Gains in economic growth have too often buoyed the fortunes of the richest instead of lifting all boats. Prosperity even in the most prosperous countries hasn’t been shared. But all the attention to inequality is just a crack in the edifice of economic orthodoxy. Now a much more radical proposition has emerged, looming like a wrecking ball: Is economic growth desirable at all?

Less than two decades ago, an economist like Herman Daly , who argued for a “steady-state economy,” was such an outlier that his fellow economist Benjamin Friedman could declare that “practically nobody opposes economic growth per se.” Yet today there is a burgeoning “post-growth” and “degrowth” movement doing exactly that — in journals , on podcasts, at conferences. Consider some of the books published in the last several years: Tim Jackson’s “Post-Growth: Life After Capitalism,” Kate Soper’s “Post-Growth Living,” Giorgos Kallis’s “In Defense of Degrowth,” Vincent Liegey and Anitra Nelson’s “Exploring Degrowth,” Jason Hickel’s “Less Is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World.” The proliferation of the term is as good an indicator as any: The literature of degrowth is growing.

In 1972, the French theorist André Gorz coined the word décroissance to ask whether “no-growth — or even degrowth” in material production was necessary for “the earth’s balance,” even if it ran counter to “the survival of the capitalist system.” Gorz was writing the same year that “The Limits to Growth” was published, a report by a group of scientists warning that surges in population and economic activity would eventually outstrip the carrying capacity of the planet. “The Limits to Growth” was initially met with skepticism and even ridicule. Critics pointed to humanity’s undeniably impressive record of technological innovation. As one representative economist put it, “Our predictions are firmly based on a study of the way these problems have been overcome in the past.”

And so degrowth remained on the fringes of the fringe for decades, until increasing awareness about global warming percolated into public debates in the early aughts. The realization that we hadn’t innovated our way out of our ecological predicament, along with inequalities laid bare by the 2008 financial crisis, fueled a more widespread distrust of the conventional capitalist wisdom. Maybe relentless economic growth was more poison than panacea.

An Ideology of ‘Growthism’

This doubt has taken varied forms, from cautious agnosticism to categorical doomsaying, with degrowth occupying the furthest end of the spectrum. For advocates of degrowth, it’s a core tenet that in high-income countries the constant expansion demanded by capitalism isn’t required to improve people’s lives; instead, the ensuing inequality and environmental havoc have frequently undermined them.

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Gen AI: A cognitive industrial revolution

The advent of steam power in the late 18th century utterly transformed manufacturing, transportation, and construction. A new kind of upheaval is already under way—one that will energize all language-based capabilities, including communication, reasoning, analysis, sales, and marketing. In this episode of the At the Edge podcast, Reid Hoffman, a partner at venture capital firm Greylock Partners, and cofounder of LinkedIn and Inflection AI, speaks with McKinsey’s Lareina Yee about the generative AI revolution and how it can teach users to understand and harness its power.

An edited transcript of the discussion follows. For more conversations on cutting-edge technology, follow the series on your preferred podcast platform.

Teaching gen AI chatbots the importance of both IQ and EQ

Lareina Yee: I asked both ChatGPT and Inflection AI’s Pi to introduce you, Reid, and here is what they had to say. Pi said: “Reid Hoffman, Silicon Valley titan. Stands on the edge of innovation where the boundaries of technology are pushed to their limits.”

In contrast, here’s what GPT had to say: “Get ready to dive into the digital realm with Reid Hoffman. Like an Avenger assembling allies, Hoffman pioneers the art of connection, shaping our future of the interconnected world.”

Welcome, Reid. Which of these introductions do you like the most?

Reid Hoffman: Well, I like them both. And the fact that you could so easily generate two pithy introductions says something significant about how far AI has come in the last couple of years. Both of them would suffice quite well.

Lareina Yee: Reid, here’s a technical question before we get started: How are those two models trained differently, such that with the same amount of information in the public domain, they create slightly different introductions?

Reid Hoffman: There’s a lot of things that go into the training of these models beyond simply providing data. These models are intensive learning machines. And in this phase, called post-training with human-feedback learning, they go through a set of drills and give two answers, and the human judge says, “This one is better.”

So in the case of Inflection’s Pi, one of the things that the Inflection team came up with was to train emotional intelligence [EQ] as intensely as we train IQ. So when we’re doing human-feedback learning, we teach Pi to give an answer with EQ.

One simple example might be if you asked both Pi and ChatGPT how much you console a friend after the loss of a treasured family pet. They would both give the same sort of answers, but ChatGPT might say, “And here are the five things you could do.”

Pi, one the other hand, might say, “You know your friend. What would count as being there for your friend? Might it be just expressing the sympathy that you feel with them in their moment of anguish? Or something else?” And then it would help you walk through that, even though both models know the five possible actions.

Lareina Yee: This is pretty extraordinary, because you’re basically saying we have the IQ, but we can also train EQ. That could include empathy, active listening, how to stay positive, and how to listen to feedback. Tell us a little bit about how you see those two attributes in AI solutions, and the connection to our experiences.

Reid Hoffman: One thing that’s certain in the next five to ten years is that we are going to have agents everywhere, doing all kinds of things for us though all kinds of interactions. There will be agents for groups, agents for companies, and many other types. And the most natural thing when you’re doing engineering is to get IQ correct. But one of the things that’s really essential for people is how we bring EQ into it, which I thought was a great insight by the Inflection team.

And of course, good EQ is recognizing what good EQ means to a hyperrationalist, whose attitude is, “Just the facts, please.” Good EQ also needs to recognize what EQ means to someone who says, “What I really care about is how people feel about their position on the team, or how they’re interfacing and interacting with other people on the team, or in the industry, or in the world.” And those require judgment calls, which is part of the nuance around how these models are developed and built.

The most natural thing when you’re doing engineering is to get IQ correct. But one of the things that’s really essential for people is how we bring EQ into it.

A groundbreaking technology for use at the office—and at home

Lareina Yee: Right now, in some of the documented gen AI use cases, people use it as a tool, as a prompt to help them express something, or to help draft a marketing campaign. But this is different. Because instead of helping with your individual task, it actually might help the collective effectiveness of the team. So it’s not going to necessarily help you code. But it may help your coding team perform better and produce a better product faster.

Reid Hoffman: Yes. Part of what’s going to be important is how we increase our collective performance. Life is a team sport, as I wrote in my first book, The Startup of You . So how we play as a team really matters.

Lareina Yee: What are you seeing outside of working hours? How are these tools, these agents, being used to improve people’s lives?

Reid Hoffman: One of the major delights of being a technology innovator and creator occurred when we first put Pi out there, and we started seeing a whole set of use cases we hadn’t really envisioned but are really helpful to people. I get a lot of comments from people who compare it to a therapist, or say it’s a useful conversational support.

But there’s a whole range of possible uses. For example, one of the women at the Greylock Partners office became a mother when Pi launched, and she ended up using it as the first stop for advice for all the things that she was encountering as a new mother. So Pi is an agent you can use in all aspects of your life, not just at work. And that was part of the concept behind Pi.

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The ‘steam engine of the mind’ explained.

Lareina Yee: We’re seeing this proliferation of use cases above and beyond what we could have predicted. And you’ve talked about generative AI being the new cognitive industrial revolution. Those are three really weighty words. Can you unpack and explain that?

Reid Hoffman: Part of the reason I use these startling expressions, like “steam engine of the mind” or “cognitive industrial revolution,” is to try to get everyone to think at the appropriate level of boldness, scale, and importance relative to society, relative to industry, and relative to their own life.

The steam engine gave us a tremendous number of physical superpowers in manufacturing, transport, and construction by ultimately creating machinery that was more powerful and mobile than simple watermills. The same thing is happening now with cognitive capabilities in anything that we do that uses language, be it communication, reasoning, analysis, selling, marketing, support, and services.

For example, I’m sometimes asked questions like, “I’ve got a steel manufacturing business. How is this going to be relevant to me?” And I reply, “You do sales and marketing. You do meetings. You do financial analysis. It’s going to affect all of that. Even if it doesn’t refactor your supply chain or figure out different means of steel manufacturing, it will still affect everything, both in industry and in society.”

And what makes it even bolder than the Industrial Revolution or the printing press is obviously the speed at which it will be moving. Because when a new AI agent is built or a new AI product is offered, it could reach billions of people in days because of the internet and mobile infrastructure.

But in terms of life and work, the default question is not will it make an impact, but what kind of impact will it have, and when? What impact will it have this year, in the next couple years, in five years, ten years, and 20 years? And by the way, no one can predict that particularly well, because it’s just too large and too complicated.

So anyone who says they know exactly what gen AI will or will not be is either deluding themselves or just trying to posture. And that’s part of the reason why my general recommendation to people is to start playing with gen AI. Try different engines, try it multiple ways, and try it for things that actually matter to you on a daily or weekly basis.

And if you try a prompt and it doesn’t really work that well, try it a couple different ways. And if you try it ten or 20 ways and none of them are really working that well, then you’ve learned it’s not as good for these things right now but may improve in the future.

Use gen AI to learn about gen AI

About quantumblack, ai by mckinsey.

QuantumBlack, McKinsey’s AI arm, helps companies transform using the power of technology, technical expertise, and industry experts. With thousands of practitioners at QuantumBlack (data engineers, data scientists, product managers, designers, and software engineers) and McKinsey (industry and domain experts), we are working to solve the world’s most important AI challenges. QuantumBlack Labs is our center of technology development and client innovation, which has been driving cutting-edge advancements and developments in AI through locations across the globe.

Lareina Yee: Think about a CEO, the head of a business unit, or executive teams. How do they meet the moment?

Reid Hoffman: The minimum is to start experimenting. And part of the experimenting is going out and seeing what other people are doing. Look at blogs and listen to podcasts, which can uncover something unexpected that can easily be useful and provide a lens.

Obviously, there are a bunch of different technical papers on AI. And working your way through them can be daunting and time consuming. But one of the useful things you can do with these agents, whether it’s ChatGPT-4, Bing Chat, or any other, is to ask them to explain the paper in terms relevant to you and your industry. And by the way, they’ll do a pretty interesting job, so it’s a great way to stay current.

One of the very broad superpowers of all these large language models is their ability to do translation. And the translation is not just English into French, or French into Spanish. It’s also the translation of English into code. Or English into an image. Or a technical paper into everyday English. Or a technical paper into the language of a marketing expert, or a brand expert.

Decide whether to lead, match, or follow innovation

Lareina Yee: If it is a cognitive industrial revolution, then business leaders should be thinking more than playing with the technology. Reid, what are some of the outer edges of bold action that you’re starting to see?

Reid Hoffman: One thing businesspeople have to understand is that their speed of innovation is not set by internal rumblings, their stomachs, or in-house meetings, but by the industry as a whole—and by what their competitors, suppliers, partners, distributors, and society are doing. That’s what’s actually setting the pace.

Sometimes it’s OK to say, “We’re going to be a deliberate follower and let other people do the experimentation.” But sometimes, being a follower means you lose. So you have to think about where you need to lead, where you need to match, and where you can follow. And in those cases where you determine you should be leading, then you obviously have to pick up your game quite a lot.

There isn’t necessarily a one size fits all. But what you should take as a certainty when it comes to work over the next five-plus years is that AI is going to offer tools for everything, to amplify any capability that includes language—or the cognitive functioning of language.

So the question is, how are you deciding between leading, matching, and following across different areas? And then, how are you getting involved? And finally, how important is this to do in your area?

Sometimes it’s OK to say, ‘We’re going to be a deliberate follower and let other people do the experimentation.’ But sometimes, being a follower means you lose. So you have to think about where you need to lead, where you need to match, and where you can follow.

Manage the inevitable workforce transition with compassion

Lareina Yee: At McKinsey, we think this is the first automation technology that addresses knowledge work, and it represents such a profound shift in the way in which technology has previously affected work. If I’m a manager listening to this podcast, I’d say, yes, I’m in for IQ and EQ. But if I’m just starting out in my career, it feels like I’m going to need some new skills. How will I stay relevant with the enterprise?

Reid Hoffman: One, go back to what I was saying before: experiment. Two, read and listen to things. Ask yourself, “What kinds of things might I experiment with? What did other people experiment with, and how do I learn from them?” One of the more interesting things about these new agents and models is that you can ask them how they can help you.

Lareina Yee: Despite all of that optimism, it’s hard not to see an underbelly to all of this. There are concerns. So with all the attention to the bold, profound amount of technological change—and we’re just scratching the surface—how do you think about business leaders being bold and acting responsibly at the same time?

Reid Hoffman: I think the right overall mindset is going into the future with some speed, resolve, and understanding that there will be some bumps and challenges. But transitions are very difficult. So don’t overly worry about the laundry list of concerns in the press, because they’re being dynamically fixed. There will be errors, and nothing will be perfect, but the way you learn is to deploy, learn, and fix—things all businesspeople understand.

But you also have to understand the human transitions. How will your workforce learn new ways to work? How are your customers going to learn new ways to interface with your company, new ways to learn about a service, and new ways to buy or otherwise engage?

All of this requires a compassionate mindset. But that doesn’t mean being soft and not driving hard into the future and breaking some eggs. Being compassionate means caring about the human experience, the human transitions, and the human costs involved in all this. It also means having human well-being as your ultimate goal, both in the now, in the transitionary, and in the future.

An iterative, intelligent, conversational assistant to improve thinking

Lareina Yee: Reid, as best I can tell from this conversation, you have four or five amazing AI assistants helping your personal productivity, and I assume Pi is the leading assistant. What have all of these assistants helped you do differently? How are you working differently as a result?

Reid Hoffman: Well, a ton. I’ve been thinking about writing an essay titled something like “Take the Red Pill,” from The Matrix .

Lareina Yee: I love that.

Reid Hoffman: For example, you’re doing a podcast on the future of AI for corporations and the workplace. So give me the strongest bull case of how AI will change things, then give me the counterargument. Then examine both and use that as a lens for decision making. Because AI can actually do both for you.

And that helps you do a kind of thesis synthesis. One of the useful things in prompting these agents is learning how to sharpen your prompt directing. If you’re a brand marketing expert trying to figure out a branding question for a portfolio company, one of the things you can do is go to Bing Chat, GPT-4, Pi, etcetera.

Make the positive case for a particular branding campaign, and then make the counterclaim. And by the way, you won’t necessarily get an answer. But one of the things these things do is help you think, so you now have an iterative assistant. It’s more like the speed of bouncing something off an intelligent, conversational companion to help you think better.

Lareina Yee: I love the ability to debate with my friend Claude, my friend Gemini, and my friend Pi. It helps advance my thinking. And it’s a different way of processing and iterating information. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about technology. But at the end of the day, we’re really talking about people. So let me ask two nontechnology questions. One, what’s your favorite hobby that doesn’t involve technology?

Reid Hoffman: One thing I’ve done a little bit of and will probably do a lot more of in the future is designing board games. Part of the attraction lies in the patterns of interaction when playing games together, which is one way we can learn about ourselves, learn about each other, and form relationships.

It’s basically practicing certain IQ and EQ skills as we’re playing. So it would be interesting to create games that helped stimulate patterns of thinking around entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation, while learning about each other.

Lareina Yee: Finally, if you go way back, you were a Marshall Scholar at Oxford, where you studied philosophy. If you were at Oxford today, what would you study?

Reid Hoffman: I’d probably study philosophy again because it’s so important. It’s about being able to establish and understand very crisp theses about your theory of the game, your theory of human nature, what’s going on, and being able to understand what’s possible, versus what is or what has been.

It’s thinking about a set of mental tools that span many different challenges. If I couldn’t do philosophy again, I’d probably study the history of science and try to understand the patterns of its evolution, on a similar basis.

Lareina Yee: Reid, thank you so much for the chat. I think we’ll all be thinking about our agent superhero team that helps us with our work and our personal productivity.

Reid Hoffman: Lareina, awesome to talk with you as always.

Reid Hoffman is a partner at venture capital firm Greylock Partners.

Comments and opinions expressed by interviewees are their own and do not represent or reflect the opinions, policies, or positions of McKinsey & Company or have its endorsement.

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