IV - MEETING 4-6-ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING - Debatable and Non-Debatable Statements

DRS. IGNATIUS SEPTO PRAMESWORO, M. ED. TESOL, MM.
- 88516 - NIDN: 0321096301 - PERBANAS INSTITUTE

EPP ENGLISH LECTURER - MEETING 4 - TOPIC 4 – WRITING ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS
ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING
Debatable and non-debatable statements
An argumentative essay is built around a specific statement (or main premise) that
is debatable within the field in which you are studying.
In other words, at the centre of an argumentative essay is a statement with which your readers may
disagree. Your essay will need to support that statement in a manner that convinces your readers of
its truth.
To begin this unit of work on argumentative essays we will learn the difference between debatable
and non-debatable statements
Debatable = Statements with which other people might or might not agree .

statements These are sometimes called "arguments", "assertions",
"propositions" or "premises".
eg. Solar energy is the best way of meeting Australia's energy
needs in the 21st century
Non-debatable = Statements with which no-one would normally disagree or

statements argue. These are sometimes called "facts".
eg. Coal and oil are the main sources of energy in Australia in
the 20th century
Task 1
Which of the following statements are debatable and which are non-debatable? If the statement is
debatable, put a tick in the box next to the word "debatable". If the statement is non-debatable, put
a tick in the box next to the word "non-debatable". You will need to print out the page.
1. Computers and automation increase unemployment

debatable
non-debatable
2. Smoking is harmful to people's health
debatable
non-debatable
3. Plants produce oxygen that the world needs to sustain life

debatable
non-debatable
4. Australia has some of the most venomous snakes in the world
debatable
non-debatable
5. A good education is necessary for a successful and happy life
debatable
non-debatable
DRS. IGNATIUS SEPTO PRAMESWORO, M. ED. TESOL, MM. - 88516 - NIDN: 0321096301 - PERBANAS INSTITUTE
Task 2
Now write a debatable and a non-debatable statement about each of the following topics:
1. Alcohol
2. Television
3. Public transport
4. The Australian education system
5. The Prime Minister
Developing Strong Thesis Statements
The thesis statement or main claim must be debatable

An argumentative or persuasive piece of writing must begin with a debatable thesis or claim. In other
words, the thesis must be something that people could reasonably have differing opinions on. If your
thesis is something that is generally agreed upon or accepted as fact then there is no reason to try to
persuade people.
Example of a non-debatable thesis statement:

Pollution is bad for the environment.
This thesis statement is not debatable.

 First, the word pollution implies that something is bad or negative in some way.*
 Furthermore, all studies agree that pollution is a problem; they simply disagree on the impact
it will have or the scope of the problem. No one could reasonably argue that pollution is
unambiguously good.
Example of a debatable thesis statement:

At least 25 percent of the federal budget should be spent on limiting pollution.
This is an example of a debatable thesis because reasonable people could disagree with it. Some
people might think that this is how we should spend the nation's money. Others might feel that we
should be spending more money on education. Still others could argue that corporations, not the
government, should be paying to limit pollution.
Another example of a debatable thesis statement:

America's anti-pollution efforts should focus on privately owned cars.
In this example there is also room for disagreement between rational individuals. Some citizens might
think focusing on recycling programs rather than private automobiles is the most effective strategy.
The thesis needs to be narrow

Although the scope of your paper might seem overwhelming at the start, generally the narrower the
thesis the more effective your argument will be. Your thesis or claim must be supported by evidence.
The broader your claim is, the more evidence you will need to convince readers that your position is
right.
Example of a thesis that is too broad:

Drug use is detrimental to society.
Penggunaan narkoba merugikan masyarakat.
There are several reasons this statement is too broad to argue.

 First, what is included in the category "drugs"? Is the author talking about illegal drug use,
recreational drug use (which might include alcohol and cigarettes), or all uses of medication in
general?
 Second, in what ways are drugs detrimental? Is drug use causing deaths (and is the author
equating deaths from overdoses and deaths from drug related violence)? Is drug use
changing the moral climate or causing the economy to decline?
 Finally, what does the author mean by "society"? Is the author referring only to America or to
the global population? Does the author make any distinction between the effects on children
and adults?
There are just too many questions that the claim leaves open. The author could not cover all of the
topics listed above, yet the generality of the claim leaves all of these possibilities open to debate.
Example of a narrow or focused thesis:

Illegal drug use is detrimental because it encourages gang violence.
Penggunaan obat-obatan terlarang merugikan karena mendorong kekerasan geng.
In this example the topic of drugs has been narrowed down to illegal drugs and the detriment has
been narrowed down to gang violence. This is a much more manageable topic.
We could narrow each debatable thesis from the previous examples in the following way:
 Narrowed debatable thesis 1:

At least 25 percent of the federal budget should be spent on helping upgrade business to clean
technologies, researching renewable energy sources, and planting more trees in order to control or
eliminate pollution.
This thesis narrows the scope of the argument by specifying not just the amount of money used but
also how the money could actually help to control pollution.
 Narrowed debatable thesis 2:

America's anti-pollution efforts should focus on privately owned cars because it would allow most
citizens to contribute to national efforts and care about the outcome.
This thesis narrows the scope of the argument by specifying not just what the focus of a national
anti-pollution campaign should be but also why this is the appropriate focus.
Qualifiers such as "typically," "generally," "usually," or "on average" also help to limit the
scope of your claim by allowing for the almost inevitable exception to the rule.
REFERENCES
http://www.ltn.lv/~markir/essaywriting/debate1.htm
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishing_arguments/index.html
Answer to Task 1: Debatable and non-debatable statements

1. Computers and automation increase unemployment.
debatable
non-debatable
2. Smoking is harmful to people's health.
debatable
non-debatable
3. Plants produce oxygen that the world needs to sustain life.

debatable
non-debatable
4. Australia has some of the most venomous snakes in the world
debatable
non-debatable
5. A good education is necessary for a successful and happy life.
debatable
non-debatable
Answer to Task 2: Debatable and non-debatable statements

Non-debatable Debatable
Alcohol Alcohol can be legally sold to adults Drinking alcohol is always bad for your
over the age of 18 in Victoria heath
Television Televison broadcasting began in Pay (or cable) television will become more
Australia in 1956. popular than free-to-air televsion in the
next 10 years.
Public Transport Trains, trams and buses are all Public transport is more economically
forms of public transport. efficient than private car transport.
The Australian There are three main levels in the The Australian education system provides
education Australian education system: the highest quality education in the Asia-
system primary, secondary and tertiary Pacific region.
The Prime The Prime Minister is elected by a The Prime Minister should be directly
Minister vote of all the members of the elected by all the citizens of Australia.
Vice President House of Representatives
The words and phrases that are in italics all tell you that these are debatable statements. These
words show that the writer is not stating facts but is giving opinions or making speculations.

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DRS. IGNATIUS SEPTO PRAMESWORO, M. ED. TESOL, MM.

- 88516 - NIDN: 0321096301 - PERBANAS INSTITUTE

Debatable and non-debatable statements

Debatable = Statements with which other people might or might not agree .

Non-debatable = Statements with which no-one would normally disagree or

1. Computers and automation increase unemployment

3. Plants produce oxygen that the world needs to sustain life

Developing Strong Thesis Statements

The thesis statement or main claim must be debatable

Example of a non-debatable thesis statement:

This thesis statement is not debatable.

Example of a debatable thesis statement:

Another example of a debatable thesis statement:

The thesis needs to be narrow

Example of a thesis that is too broad:

There are several reasons this statement is too broad to argue.

Example of a narrow or focused thesis:

 Narrowed debatable thesis 1:

 Narrowed debatable thesis 2:

Answer to Task 1: Debatable and non-debatable statements

3. Plants produce oxygen that the world needs to sustain life.

Answer to Task 2: Debatable and non-debatable statements

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