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According to Graham’s hierarchy, rebuttal is one of seven methods of showing disagreement. The term refutation derives from the Latin word refutatio , which means “to reject or defeat an affirmation with arguments”.
As mentioned above, a rebuttal is a criticism or objection to the credibility of a narrative and is intended to disavow or invalidate it. The rebuttal is intended to demonstrate that what another person said is not true, convenient or useful.
In the rebuttal, evidence, quotes, and reasoning are presented that can weaken an opponent’s speech. It is a way of showing disagreement and trying to win the argument. For this reason, it is a strategy that is frequently used in debates and theses.
The refutation can also be defined as a statement or affirmation, which has the following logical structure: when there is a hypothesis (H) conclusions can be inferred (C). If these conclusions are not given (-C), then the hypothesis is not confirmed (-H). For example:
(H): “all roses are red” and “there is a rose in the park”
This implies that:
(C): “The rose in the park is red”
But I affirm that:
(-C) : «The rose in the park is yellow»
this proves that:
(-H) : “not all roses are red”
Uses of rebuttal
The rebuttal is usually used when the speech presents one or more of the following aspects:
- Little clarity: what is said is not understood.
- Improbability: what is said is false and cannot be proven.
- Impossibility: what is said is impossible to happen.
- Contrariness: what is said is contrary to what is logical and natural.
- Immoral: what is said goes against morality and good customs.
- Uselessness: what is said is useless.
How to refute arguments
There are different ways to refute arguments. However, the most effective and ethical is to point out the error and provide evidence to prove it. For this, the use of evidence is required . Therefore, to refute an argument, the following steps can be followed:
- Make a clear presentation of the argument
- Present the evidence that proves the argument
- Use a courteous and respectful tone
- Avoid getting carried away by emotions
- Maintain a rational posture
Rebuttal Examples
- Students from different disciplines participating in a debate, defending their positions.
- A literary criticism of a novel.
- An appeal to reduce the length of a prisoner’s sentence.
- An employee who goes to the Human Resources department to complain or disagree with the benefits offered by the company.
- When a customer is not satisfied with a product or service and submits a complaint.
- When an article is published in a research journal and an error is detected, a rebuttal letter is sent.
Bibliography
- Fuentes Rodríguez, C. Argumentative strategies and political discourse. (2016). Spain. Arch Books – The Wall.
- Llamas Saiz, C. The analysis of political discourse: genres and methodologies. (2018). Spain
