analyze-argumentation-flow

Reading

Read whole text once before flagging anything. Reconstruct central thesis in one sentence. Do this even when author never states it. Report missing thesis as finding when you cannot reconstruct it.

Scope

List supporting claims in order and note evidence for each. Judge argument author makes, not one you wish they made. Distinguish flaws of reasoning from flaws of taste. Distinguish the conclusion is wrong from the argument is weak. Report only second kind.

Claims

Flag every factual claim without support. Surface unstated premises argument leans on. Check every key term for equivocation.

Inference

Test inference at every therefore, so, thus, or hence. Test it at every which means or as a result too. Hunt for circular reasoning. Check each premise's independent believability.

Fallacies

Name specific fallacies and quote triggering line. Use names from references/fallacies.md. Treat one anecdote as one anecdote. Watch for cherry-picked evidence and survivorship bias. Mark every analogy and ask where it breaks.

Rhetoric

Flag rhetorical questions that stand in for arguments. Treat obviously, clearly, and everyone knows as red flags. Treat it goes without saying and as we all agree same way. Watch for loaded language replacing evidence.

Counterargument

Check author addresses strongest counterargument. Use one fair opponent would raise. Notice when burden of proof shifts onto reader.

Structure

Hunt for contradictions across paragraphs. Compare introduction's promise against conclusion's delivery. Flag paragraphs that restate earlier claims. Mark restatements that add no evidence, distinction, or consequence. Notice scope creep, where narrow claim inflates into sweeping one. Check order of reasoning. Distinguish description from prescription.

Fairness

Be charitable on small slips and strict on load-bearing ones. Do not invent objections no honest reader would raise.

Report

Report findings as numbered list. Give quoted snippet and fallacy name in each item. Add one-sentence explanation and one-line remedy. End with one-paragraph verdict. Name which load-bearing claims survive and whether thesis stands.

Restraint

Never rewrite prose or change author's voice. Never substitute your conclusion for theirs.