A Guide to Using Counter Arguments
Brian L. Keeley, Pitzer College
One important thing you ought to learn in college (and particularly in a philosophy class) is how to
deal with those who have a position or idea that actively conflicts with your own view of things.
Life is full of disagreements between intelligent people of good faith. Learning how to deal with
such disagreements in a fair, yet firm way is an important skill that often separates the best writers
from the merely good. In the papers you will write for me, you will demonstrate that skill by
including counter arguments in your essays.
The issues and questions confronted in philosophy are complex and there is honest disagreement
about the answers. Therefore, there is much room for differences of opinion. The ideas and the
texts are often so complex that there is even disagreement about how to interpret what a given
philosopher is trying to say in a particular work. This means that both the arguments you present on
certain topics, as well as the interpretations of authors that you present, are open to alternative
points of view.
What is a counter argument?
A counter argument is any position that contradicts a position you are presenting in your paper. The
position you are presenting may be one that you personally hold or one that you are merely
presenting in the course of the essay. For example, say you are presenting an interpretation of
Plato’s philosophy according to which he thinks that there are natural differences between people
that affect their ability to be genuinely philosophical, so it would be a waste to train everybody as a
philosopher. A counter argument to this interpretation would be one which argues that Plato, in
fact, believes that everybody has at least some skills as a philosopher and that these skills should be
developed in everybody in order to guarantee a just state. Textual evidence can be found in The
Republic to bolster both of these claims. As a second example, somebody might argue that
Socrates’ unique contribution to Western philosophy is the content of the questions that he
famously addressed: What is justice? What is beauty? What is the Good Life? A counter argument
to this might be that it is not the content of Socrates’ questions that is his enduring legacy, rather
it’s the way in which he asked questions and pursued answers. It is his method that is his unique
contribution.
Why include counter arguments?
Some students wonder why they should mention counter arguments in their papers in the first
place. After all, doesn’t it detract from the point you are making to explicitly point out that there is
another side to the argument? Wouldn’t you just be shooting yourself in the foot? Far from it! It is
true that badly handling a counter argument can backfire and undermine the position you are
making. However, that said, effectively handling a counter argument in the course of an essay can
greatly bolster the case you are trying to make in a variety of ways:
1. Be careful not to underestimate the intelligence of your readers. They are intelligent and
have minds of their own. Therefore, it is likely that they have independently come up with
the more obvious counter arguments to the position you are presenting. If so, then if you do
not address these objections floating in their heads, you are not likely to convince them. It
would be better for you to figure out what the more obvious objections to your position are,
present them in a fair manner, and then adequately confront them and tell the reader why
you think your position is nonetheless superior.
2. Discussing a counter argument can be used to sharpen and clarify the point you are trying to
make. For example, if you are making a subtle point, it is often useful to explicitly confront
the subtly different positions that you do not hold. Doing this will make it clearer to the
reader what position you do in fact hold. It alerts the reader to a potential confusion about
how to interpret what you are trying to say and allows you to steer them in the right
direction. Along the same lines, if you are purposely presenting a highly counter-intuitive
position or one that violates common sense, it is often useful to acknowledge the more
intuitive or natural thought. Explain in no uncertain terms that you are going against the
grain: “Socrates is often held up as a great example of a philosopher; if he is not the best
philosopher there ever was, he is definitely considered an exemplary one. In this paper,
however, I will argue that Socrates is actually quite a bad philosopher…” Imagine the
reader’s confusion if this author simply launched into an argument about how bad of a
philosopher Socrates was without acknowledging the apparent absurdity of his thesis.
3. Dealing with counter arguments enhances your credibility as a thoughtful interlocutor on
the subject you are discussing. You aren’t merely a hack trying to pull the wool over the
reader’s eyes. You aren’t a zealot who is only capable of seeing one side of what is
obviously a contentious issue. You are a thoughtful, fair critic who sees the merits of many
sides on this issue, but who nonetheless feels that, in balance, the position you advocate is
best.
4. Dealing with counter arguments gives you one more way to argue on behalf of your
position. Most of your paper should deal with positive arguments on your position’s behalf;
that is, the positive reasons why your position is a good one. However, a counter argument
affords you the possibility to explore negative reasons on your behalf; that is, the reasons
against alternative positions that might be taken in opposition to your thesis or
interpretation.
How should I deal with counter arguments in my essays? Are there any good rules of thumb?
1. In general, it is better to deal with one counter argument fully & effectively rather than several
counter arguments quickly & superficially. Take the time to explain the alternative position
fully and then respond to it fully. Don’t just breeze over a number of superficial claims.
2. Give a counter argument a paragraph of its own in your essay. (This only makes sense. The
general rule in writing is that each paragraph should have a single point. By definition, a
counter argument will contain a point different from everything else you say in your paper, so
it needs to be in a separate paragraph.) By the same token, probably your response to the
counter argument should be in a paragraph of its own.
3. Be sure to take the time & space to explain fully the alternative position. Be fair to the position
and spell out what its conclusion is and the reasons backing up this conclusion. (A common
mistake in student writing is to merely present a contrary conclusion and then proceed to attack
it. Remember that we are talking about a counter argument here, not just a counter claim. An
argument is a claim (conclusion) together with supporting evidence.) One reason for fleshing
out the alternative position is so that you are not guilty of a “straw person” (aka “straw man”)
fallacy. In this notorious (and notoriously fallacious) form of argument, you present a
purposely dumbed-down version of your opponent’s position and then attack it, instead of the
more plausible position she, in fact, holds. It is far more convincing when somebody
effectively handles the best argument an opponent has than when he or she completely
trounces a silly position that nobody in his or her right mind would hold.
4. With that in mind, make sure the counter argument you address is reasonable and plausible. If
you cannot come up with a plausible counter argument to the position you take in a paper, this
is a strong hint for you to change your thesis. If there is no plausible counter argument to your
position, this probably means that your position is trivial and not really worth arguing for.
5. Make sure that the counter argument you explore actually is a counter argument. Not every
position different from your own position is a counter claim. Some arguments are just
different. An effective counter argument is one that, if true, would genuinely undercut the
position you are taking in the essay.
6. Where should a counter argument go in an essay? There is no cut-n-dried answer to this
question. It varies from essay to essay. It is often useful to put it near the end of the paper,
especially when your response to the counter argument allows you to restate in clearer terms
exactly what your thesis is (and is not). This can be a very natural way to flow into a
conclusion. However, in a case where a counter argument seems particularly obvious—for
example, when you are taking an unusual stand on an issue—it often makes sense to deal with
the counter argument near the beginning of the paper. This allows you to get your argument
across without the cognitive dissonance created by another, very obvious response rattling
around in the reader’s head. Placement of the counter argument in your essay will take some
serious thought from you, the writer.
7. Finally, as a writer, you need to pay special attention to the transitions into and out of a counter
argument. By definition, when you start discussing a counter argument in your essay, you are
“shifting gears”: Before you were talking about ideas with which you agree. Now, all of a
sudden, you are talking about ideas with which you ultimately disagree. When introducing a
counter argument, be as explicit as possible that what you are about to present is a counter
argument: “I have just discussed four reasons suggesting that for Plato education is necessarily
a painful process. Why might somebody disagree with this interpretation? Well, some might
point to the happiness enjoyed by the philosopher-kings as they contemplate and learn about
the higher forms…” And then, after laying out the alternative position: “However, this
interpretation is based on a mistaken reading. When Plato describes the joy of the philosopherkings, he describes this happiness as mixed with pain…” There is an infinite number of ways to
handle the transition into and out of a counter argument. The key is to communicate to the
reader that you are shifting gears, so he or she doesn’t suddenly become very confused as you
begin apparently arguing against everything you have presented in the paper so far!