Face common refutable objections to strengthen argument
Convert sceptical readers (logos, pathos)
Stress-test your argument (logos)
Build trust for author (ethos, pathos)
Try it, in pairs
Pick an editorial from 3 handed out in class
Formulate a counterargument to some point in that editorial (opposing thesis, about 1 paragraph summary of
what you see supporting it)
Exchange editorials/counterarguments
Pretending you are the author of the editorial, address the counter-argument in ca 1 paragraph of argument
Discussion
Several of the counterarguments were based on misunderstandings of the editorial
That happens in real life too, and can be a basis for rebuttal, explaining how you think your opponent
misunderstands the situation
But it doesn’t make for a convincing planted naysayer, i.e., a hypothetical objection you inject
into an essay to head it off before readers discover it for themselves