下载掌阅APP，畅读海量书库
立即打开
A claim is the central point or position of an argument.Its centrality makes it an indispensable element of arguments.The claim is typically expressed in statements of one or two sentences.A well-written and crystal-clear claim has multiple functions in understanding arguments.It not only guides readers in understanding the whole argument but also helps readers evaluate if the argument lives up to its claim or not．Well-crafted claims can also give readers the sense of how the argument is structured．
Typically， an argument may have only one claim， but some arguments do have multiple claims.In this case， the central claim is often called the primary claim， and all supporting claims or sub-claims are called the secondary claims.Thus， in analyzing the claim of an argument， it is important to first identify the primary claim and then locate secondary claims that support the primary claim．
As arguments typically take a stance on a stasis， we may classify claims according to the point of disagreement.If stasis focuses on the factuality of an issue， then the stance we take is a factual claim.If the dispute is over the definition of a key term in the issue， then our stance is a definitional claim.We can also take a stance over which category the issue belongs to and make a categorical claim.We could make a resemblance claim by likening the issue with another issue with an analogy.We may also focus on the causes or effects of the issue and make causal arguments.When disagreement focuses on values and judgments of an issue， we may make an evaluation claim.When there are disputes about solutions to a certain problem， we may make a proposal claim．
1 .Factual Claim： A factual claim argues for the factuality of something.Factual claims aim to prove the probable truth of something by arguing that it is a fact， which cannot be questioned or challenged.We use factual claims typically when the fact of something is disputable， controversial， or debatable.Factual claims can also serve as secondary claims to all other types of claims as facts are often considered important evidence．
2 .Definitional Claim： A definitional claim questions， challenges， clarifies， or changes the definition of some key term in an issue.The purpose of definitional claims is to cut into the controversy of the issue or challenge an established position by directing audience’s attention to the problem with the vague，contradictory，distorted，manipulated， murky definition of some key terms.Some definitions are as short as a few words， as a full sentence， or as extended as paragraphs.The extended definitions may define terms through tracing the historical development of the term， explaining the etymology of the term， making comparison and contrast with other terms， illustrating with examples， offering concrete descriptions， or explaining functions of the term 4 ．Definitional claims often serve as supporting claims to other types of claims such as causal/consequential， evaluation， or proposal claims．
3 .Categorical Claim： A categorical claim argues that the issue in question belongs to a different category instead of the well-acknowledged or take-for-granted category.The purpose of categorical claims is to challenge some established or popular positions of an issue by pointing out that the crux of the controversy over this issue rests on the categorization of the issue.Furthermore， categorical arguments are often used as secondary claims to support other types of claim， such as evaluation or proposal claims．
4.Causal/Consequential Claim： Causal claims and consequential claims argue for logical connections between two events or conditions.Although both claims inevitably mention both causes and effects of an issue， causal claims often focus on how the issue is caused by some reasons instead of other reasons while consequential claims stress the effects， rather than the causes， of an issue.Additionally， causal/consequential arguments often serve as supporting claims to other types of arguments， such as categorical or proposal arguments．
5 .Evaluation Claim： Evaluation claims make judgments about the function of some products， aesthetic values of some works， or the ethics of behaviors or actions， or offer interpretations about the meaning of some works.No matter what kind of evaluation it makes， an evaluation claim always relies on some criteria or framework when making judgment or interpretation.Evaluation claims， like other claims， are frequently used as secondary claims for other types of arguments， such as resemblance， categorical， or proposal arguments．
6 .Resemblance Claim： A resemblance claim argues that x resembles y.Its purpose is to convince readers that some new， unfamiliar， or unimaginable issue， event， or behavior can be better understood in connection with a similar but familiar， common issue， event， or behavior.A resemblance claim works through demonstrating the striking yet unexpected similarities between x and y.Beyond this， resemblance claims often support other types of arguments， such as definitional， categorical， or causal arguments．
7 .Proposal Claim： A proposal claim proposes solutions to an existing problem.Its purpose is to convince readers that a certain problem exists and must be addressed， and that the proposal is effective in addressing the problem.As most conclusion sections of arguments tend to point out some solutions or call for some actions， proposal claims are very frequently used as secondary claims for all other types of arguments， such as categorical， resemblance， or causal/consequential arguments．