5 THE DEFINITION OF ARGUMENT ‘You did it!’ ‘No I didn’t.’ ‘Yes you did.’ ‘No I didn’t.’ ‘Prove it then!’ ‘Why should I? You prove I did.’ ‘No, why should I? You prove you didn’t.’ What is clear by now is that lawyers must be competent argument constructors and dismantlers. An ability to construct a good argument is the core of successful study in any area. But what is an argument—let alone a good one? The word argument has a range of meanings, but all revolve around proving the validity of an assertion. Consider Figures 7.1 and 7.2, below, which illustrate the various meanings of ‘argue’ and ‘argument’. Figure 7.1: to argue

DOI link for 5 THE DEFINITION OF ARGUMENT ‘You did it!’ ‘No I didn’t.’ ‘Yes you did.’ ‘No I didn’t.’ ‘Prove it then!’ ‘Why should I? You prove I did.’ ‘No, why should I? You prove you didn’t.’ What is clear by now is that lawyers must be competent argument constructors and dismantlers. An ability to construct a good argument is the core of successful study in any area. But what is an argument—let alone a good one? The word argument has a range of meanings, but all revolve around proving the validity of an assertion. Consider Figures 7.1 and 7.2, below, which illustrate the various meanings of ‘argue’ and ‘argument’. Figure 7.1: to argue

5 THE DEFINITION OF ARGUMENT ‘You did it!’ ‘No I didn’t.’ ‘Yes you did.’ ‘No I didn’t.’ ‘Prove it then!’ ‘Why should I? You prove I did.’ ‘No, why should I? You prove you didn’t.’ What is clear by now is that lawyers must be competent argument constructors and dismantlers. An ability to construct a good argument is the core of successful study in any area. But what is an argument—let alone a good one? The word argument has a range of meanings, but all revolve around proving the validity of an assertion. Consider Figures 7.1 and 7.2, below, which illustrate the various meanings of ‘argue’ and ‘argument’. Figure 7.1: to argue