Minutes a day n e w y o r k

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S T R AT E G I E S   F O R   C O N V I N C I N G
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A c k n o w l e d g e   C o u n t e r a r g u m e n t s
An important part of establishing your credibility and persuading readers is acknowledging counterarguments.
Counterarguments are ones that might be offered by someone supporting the other side of your argument. If you
are asserting that medical research on animals is unnecessary, you need to consider what someone asserting that
it is necessary would think.
Acknowledging counterarguments strengthens your argument. It shows that you have considered all sides
of the issue and thought carefully about the logic of your position. More importantly, it helps you better defend
your position. If you know what objections your readers might have, you can systematically address those objec-
tions in your essay (without, in many cases, revealing them as possible objections). Furthermore, acknowledging
counterarguments enables you to persuade your readers to believe you by addressing their concerns and then coun-
tering each concern with a reasonable premise of your own.
Compare these two arguments:
Lukas, can I borrow your car tomorrow morning? I have a job interview and I can’t get there by bus. I really want this
job. What do you say?
Lukas, I know you don’t like to let other people drive your car, especially since you put so much time into rebuilding
it. But I’m hoping you’ll make an exception. I have a job interview tomorrow and I can’t get there by bus. I’m really
excited about this job. I promise to have it back by noon with a full tank of gas. And to show my appreciation, I’ll take
her to the car wash on my way back.
It’s clear that the speaker in the second paragraph took some time to consider Lukas’s point of view. By address-
ing his concerns, the writer shows Lukas that he’s put himself in Lukas’s shoes, and this kind of empathy can be
a powerful tool for convincing a reader.
To help you acknowledge counterarguments, play “devil’s advocate.” While brainstorming or outlining, take
a few minutes to consider the opposite thesis; how would it best be supported? What arguments would likely be
made? If you can anticipate what the other side will say, you can acknowledge those arguments and come up with
effective counterarguments. It will also help you find any holes in your argument that you may have missed.
Acknowledging counterarguments is not the same as supporting them. In fact, if you acknowledge them
strategically, you can actually use them to support your case. For example, you are arguing that school uniforms
should be mandatory for all public school students. One of your major supporting ideas is that school uniforms
will create a stronger sense of community. After playing devil’s advocate, you realize that people against the idea
of mandatory uniforms would argue that they create a culture of conformity. Here’s how you might acknowledge
the counterargument, show its weakness, and set the reader up for your position:
Many people have argued that school uniforms would encourage conformity, and that schools should do all they can
to help students develop a sense of individuality. But as much as we want to believe that the way we dress is an expres-
sion of our individuality, for most students, clothing is more often a means of conformity. Students want to dress like
their peers. They want to wear the same brands and the same styles as their friends (or the people whom they wish were
their friends). It is the rare student who truly uses clothing as an expression of individuality.