Rebutting the Counterargument
In a typical essay, after writing one’s own argument, one would often bring in the opposing view (counterarguments). However, we cannot stop there—these counterarguments must be rebutted well.
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After you have written the opposing view— that is the arguments by those who disagree with you— it would not make sense to stop there. Think of it as having an argument in real life. Maybe you are arguing for a promotion. Imagine if you were to approach your employer with a list of reasons why you deserve a promotion, but then— out of nowhere— you start enumerating the reasons why your colleagues think you should not get a promotion. That would be to shoot yourself in your own foot. To write the counterargument without telling me why the counterargument is wrong often just contradicts your stand.
As such, we often bring in the opposing view only for one key reason: to shoot it down. This is the rebuttal and it is imperative that it is convincing— otherwise, bringing in an opposing view would be doing more harm than good.
One of my favourite methods of making a rebuttal is what I call the “precisely” method: it flips the opposing argument against itself. Here’s a sample:
Rebuttal: However, it is precisely because some media outlets are concerned only about profits that they would in fact stick to the truth; jeopardising their credibility could cause readers to turn to other sources, causing a decline in readership and revenue.
In the above example, we see how we accept the central idea (in bold) in the opposing view’s argument but we swiftly flip it against our imaginary detractors to arrive at a completely different stand— that is, our own. We just need to provide a different line of reasoning that causes the opposing argument to support our stand instead. This, done appropriately, often stuns and impresses the marker. What makes it effective is that should this occur in a debate, you can imagine your opponent being lost for words. He cannot invalidate your claim as it is a claim he himself has made. Let’s now practise this technique. We will provide the question and the opposing view, while you should attempt to construct a rebuttal that applies this technique.
Press ‘Next Lesson’ below to try this yourself!