How parts of an argument make a whole | Reading | Khan Academy

- [David] Hey readers,

you've caught me just
as I was about to listen

to my favorite podcast,

"Grumpy Li'l Guy".

Where the host finds something new

to be unhappy about each episode.

I probably shouldn't be
listening to podcasts at work,

but this gives us a great opportunity

to talk about how an author develops

claims across a text,
how parts create a whole.

You get to learn something

and I get to chill out with
one of my favorite pods.

Win-win.

Our little secret.

How about it?

Okay, so I'm gonna put my feet up

and put on the podcast.

(bouncy music)

♪ He's a grumpy little guy. ♪

- [Host] Hey, this is Grumpy Li'l Guy

with Dim Bin Rain Stone,

brought to you by WKHN 90.3 FM

and our partners at Khan Academy.

Today, I want to talk to you
about loose shopping carts.

Are they a sign of moral decline?

- [David] Okay, hey, sorry,

gonna get in real quick.

I'm one of those people who loves

to pause the podcast and discuss a lot.

So, let's talk about how the host

of this show is building his argument.

Let's listen for a bit

and then I'll divide up
the argument into sections.

(David imitates skipping sound)

- [Host] ...loose shopping carts.

Are they a sign of moral decline?

When I see a flock of
shopping carts uncared for

and unloved clogging the parking lot

of my local Save a Bunch,

I feel a fury that borders on,

"Whoa, why don't we
care about one another?"

- [David] So our first section here

introduces the main idea

and gives some background
for the argument.

The author is trying
to argue that a failure

to put your shopping cart
back demonstrates a culture

where people don't take
care of each other.

Let's skip ahead.

(David imitates skipping sound)

- [Host] ... cart abandonment
as social contagion.

The desire to put away your grocery cart

is a socially considerate one,

but studies indicate that
social disorder is infectious.

A 2008 study in the Netherlands found

that if you see graffiti in an alleyway,

you'll feel more entitled to litter there.

- [David] This section
is an expand and explain.

The author expands on the main idea

and explains more about it.

Not just background or the context,

but going deeper on the subject itself.

So, we've got a reference
to a study that explains how

and why cart abandonment might happen.

Let's keep going.

(David imitates skipping sound)

- [Host] Who it hurts?

Why is this bad you might be asking.

What's the trouble here?

Well, shopping carts don't have breaks.

They can hit little kids, they
can block handicapped spaces,

they can damage cars, they can
trundle outta the parking lot

and into the road causing car crashes.

- [David] This part of the
argument brings in examples

to strengthen the original claim

that not returning your grocery
cart is bad for society.

The more specific the example the better.

Vague assertions aren't compelling.

If I say the weather was bad,

that's less interesting than,

"Hail the size of a grapefruit

punched a hole in my car's windshield."

Let's press on.

(David imitates skipping sound)

- [Host] Legitimate reasons
to abandon your cart.

Now, I recognize

that there are several legitimate
reasons why a person might

not be able to return
a shopping cart easily.

Perhaps you've got lots of children

and can't wrangle the kids
and groceries by yourself.

Perhaps you have a physical disability

and can't return the cart on your own,

but the fact that a minority

of people cannot return carts
means that the rest of us

as a society must support
you and fill in the gaps.

- [David] Do you see how the podcaster

is addressing a counter
argument and then absorbing it

to make the overall
claim a little stronger?

He acknowledges that some of
the reasons a person might have

for not returning a cart are legitimate,

but it strengthens the overall
argument to say that when one

of us has a legitimate reason
they can't return the cart,

the rest of us have to support them.

So that's the structure of this argument.

How a claim is developed across sections,

with each section working
together to build support for

and then strengthen the overall idea.

First, introduce the
idea, give background.

Second, expand and explain.

Third, provide examples or data.

And fourth, address counter arguments.

This is a structure you can
use in your own arguments.

And there are different structures
and orders to arguments.

This obviously isn't the only one.

Now, if you want to go back

and read the whole argument,

I'll put the full text
in the video description.

Meanwhile, I think I've
hit the end of the episode.

- [Host] Thanks so much
for listening today.

Our line producer is Hannah Charlie,

our senior producers are Jeff
Handel and Heather Neston,

and our executive producer is Amanda Leff.

I'm Nim Bin Rain Stone,
and you can learn anything.

- [David] Gosh, I love that show.

♪ He's a grumpy little guy. ♪
- [David] David out.