Taming the Warrant in Toulmin's Model of Argument

• Published in: English journal Vol. 99; no. 6; pp. 41 - 46
• Main Author: Warren, James E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Urbana National Council of Teachers of English 01.07.2010
• Edition: High school edition
• Subjects: Critical Thinking; English language; English teachers; Essays; Formal logic; Graff, Gerald; High School Students; Inference; Language arts; Learning; Learning Processes; Literary criticism; Logic and Critical Reasoning; Logical Thinking; Persuasive Discourse; Skills; Students; Studies; Syllogisms; Teachers; Teaching; Textbooks; Thinking Skills; Warrants; Writing assignments; Writing Instruction; New York; United States > US
• ISSN: 0013-8274; 2161-8895
• DOI: 10.58680/ej201011521

In the Toulmin model, arguments begin with a "claim" supported by "data." The movement from claim to data is authorized by a general, unstated proposition Stephen E. Toulmin calls the "warrant." Unlike all other components of the Toulmin model, warrants usually remain implicit in an argument; they are the unspoken assumptions that bind together claims and data. Consequently, no amount of close reading reveals them; instead, they must be brought to the surface through logical inference. Teaching students to identify warrants can be so difficult that many teachers simply omit them when teaching the Toulmin model. This response, while understandable, ultimately does a disservice to students because the concept of the warrant is essential to critical reasoning. Students must be able to identify warrants in their own and others' arguments to determine whether those warrants need support. In this article, the author clarifies the warrant, a concept of formal logic he says is frequently misunderstood. (Contains 1 note.)