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Chapter 10

In this chapter we look at the refutation part of argumentation, according to the textbook refutation is a "Process which one person or faction involved in a decision criticizes arguments advanced by another person or faction" (Pg.156). This is highly important in a decision making process when there are factions who which to see certain things change, therefore criticizing a current state of being in the thing they are refuting against. A common place where this can be seen is in social justice movements. For example, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the best at criticizing racism in the United States. He made sure that his opinions and voice was heard to all decision makers, which would be someone like the President of the United States. He not only criticized the racism in the US, but the division that it brought to the country. This allowed the decision makers to appeal to the emotional content of his criticism because he would have his fair opportunity to give these opinions. The process in which he did his refutation followed the similarly what the textbook talked about. All the factions involved in this social justice movement had to make a decision if his claims were going to be accepted or not. MLK Jr. had to openly express his disagreement with all the racial injustice going on around the country at the time. This is what refutation is all about, the opportunity for someone to come in and argue against an argument. This allows things that are being claimed to get tested by someone else and either bring light to things that are not true, or strengthen that same argument as well.

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