To extract an argument from a piece of text, write down a line-by-line reformulation of the argument making clear its logical structure. Here’s how to do it:
Carefully read the entire passage containing the argument and reread it until you understand it.
Figure out what the premise(s) and the conclusion of the argument are.
Premises are the reasons given for a claimthey provide the support or justification for the claim being made. Some premise indicators to look for: because, for, since, given that, etc. Note that in some cases, a premise may be “suppressed,” i.e., implicit rather than explicit. Sometimes you have to “read between the lines” and add a premise to make the full reasoning clear.
Conclusions are the main claim being defended. Frequently this will be clear in context, but you can also look for conclusion indicators such as: thus, therefore, so, in conclusion, hence, it follows that, etc
Rephrase the premises and conclusion in clear simple language. There should be no quotes in these argument summaries.
Write out in argument form by numbering the premises and writing Conclusion in front of the conclusion. You final extraction should look something like this:
Premise 1: (clearly state premise 1)
Premise 2: (clearly state premise 2)
Premise 3: (clearly state premise 3)
(and so on for however many premises there are).
Conclusion: (clearly state conclusion)
Explain: To explain the argument you have extracted, provide the reasoning/context for each premise separately. Sometimes, fully explaining a key or controversial premise will require its own paragraph (or more).
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