1. The Nature of Argumentation Analyzing Debatable Claims
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Editor's Notes
Fact resolutions deal with statements that determine whether something is true or false or whether something exists or does not exist. Theoretically, a factual question can be answered in an objective manner, but at times, there are questions about truth claims. For our topic, the statement “subsidies help small farmers to survive” is a debatable, factual claim. Value resolutions deal with subjective evaluations of good or bad. For our topic, we could debate whether conservation subsidies are good for the environment or not. Policy topics are what we will debate in this class. They advocate an action, usually by the government.