Anargument can be thought of as two or more contradictingtree structures.
Theroot of each tree is aclaim: a belief supported by information.
The root branches out tonodes that aregrounds: supporting information.
Theedges connecting them are warrants: rules or principles.
Claims, grounds and warrants are often not known for certain, so they are presented with aqualifier to indicate their probability.
When a ground is disputable it is asub claim; in this way the tree can grow to be quite large.
The object of a discussion is often to resolve a difference of opinion. This requires common grounds from which to logically convince one's opponent that one's claim is better supported and that the opponent's claim is supported by false grounds and or warrants (seeOccam's razor). If one has no grounds or warrants to support one's claim, then one has no argument, just a belief/claim, perhaps an inaccurate one.
