Concede, Rebut, Refute
Introduced| English |
|---|
| credibility/ˌkredɪˈbɪlɪti/ |
| refute/rɪˈfjuːt/ |
| rebut/rɪˈbʌt/ |
| concede/kənˈsiːd/ |
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.
Joining an argument without reading earlier replies is like asking “What happened?” just after everyone explained it.
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.