Concede, Rebut, Refute
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| credibility | 可信度 | kě xìn dù |
| refute | 驳倒 | bó dǎo |
| rebut | 反驳 | fǎn bó |
| concede | 让步 | ràng bù |
Nobody argues first
- Every subject worth arguing about has been argued about already.
- Effectively entering into an ongoing conversation means engaging the positions that have already been considered.
- A text that ignores them is not neutral — it reads as not knowing they exist.
The difference between rebutting and refuting is that refuting...
A rebuttal only proposes invalidity; a refutation demonstrates it.
Three different moves, three different costs
- Writers enhance their credibility 可信度 when they refute, rebut or concede opposing arguments.
- They are not synonyms and they do not cost the same.
- Which one a writer chose tells you what evidence they had.
Select all the routes to conceding that the CED names.
The third route does not concern the opponent at all.
Concede
- To concede 让步 is to accept all or part of a competing claim as correct, to agree it is correct under different circumstances, or to acknowledge the limitations of your own argument.
- Three routes, and the third does not concern the opponent at all.
- Conceding costs nothing but the claim you gave up — and buys the reader's trust.
Concede, rebut, or refute?
Sort each move by what the writer is doing to the opposing claim.
Evidence and sources will either support, complement, or ____ a writer's thesis.
Check which one before assuming a quoted source is on the writer's side.
Rebut and refute are not the same move. A rebuttal proposes that a claim is invalid by offering a contrasting perspective or alternative evidence; a refutation demonstrates it with evidence. Calling a rebuttal a refutation credits the writer with proof they never produced.
If a text contains no counterargument, the writer has made a mistake.
The CED states that not all arguments explicitly address a counterargument.
Rebut and refute
- To rebut 反驳 is to offer a contrasting perspective, or alternative evidence, to propose that a competing claim is invalid.
- To refute 驳倒 is to demonstrate, using evidence, that it is invalid.
- Rebutting proposes; refuting demonstrates — so refuting needs evidence a rebuttal does not.
Match each move to what it costs the writer.
Which move a writer chose tells you what evidence they had.
Reading the move
- Transitions may be used to introduce counterarguments — admittedly, of course, it is true that, critics argue.
- But not all arguments explicitly address a counterargument, so their absence is not proof of an oversight.
- And evidence and sources will either support, complement or contradict a writer's thesis — check which, before assuming it supports.
"Critics say the scheme is costly. It is" — concedes. "Critics say it is costly, but the same critics accept far larger sums elsewhere" — rebuts by contrasting perspective. "The published accounts show the cost is one-third of the figure critics use" — refutes, with evidence.
Concede = accept all or part, or under different circumstances, or admit your own limits. Rebut = propose invalidity via a contrasting perspective or alternative evidence. Refute = demonstrate invalidity with evidence. Transitions introduce counterarguments, but not all arguments address one.