argumentthose

Argumentthose is a neologism used in speculative discussions of rhetoric and informal logic to name a specific argumentative pattern. The term denotes a way of advancing a general claim by repeatedly pointing to a set of previously described or observable cases, often through demonstratives such as those, these, or that kind of case. The idea is to create a sense that the argument rests on a broad base of examples without presenting a formal, quantified, or systematically representative sample.

In practice, an argumentthose proceeds by citing clusters of instances and then drawing a broad generalization from them. The device relies on the perceived representativeness of the cited cases and on the persuasive force of treating a collection of examples as if it constitutes a universal precedent. Because the reference is to “these” or “those” cases rather than to a precise dataset, the argument can seem concrete and trustworthy even when the underlying sampling is unclear or biased.

Example: “These studies show improvements in outcomes, those studies show improvements as well; therefore the program works across contexts.” Critics argue that this can amount to cherry-picking or overgeneralization if the cited cases are unrepresentative or selectively chosen. Proponents may view it as a heuristic for grounding discussion in concrete instances before wider analysis.

See also: rhetorical devices, anecdotal evidence, hasty generalization, demonstratives.