24.2: Activity by T Nowacki
- Page ID
- 249478
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In the example below, locate the four parts of the counterargument and assess how well they are done. Discuss as a class or small group.
- Present the oppositional point of view (the counterargument): this should be a paraphrase, perhaps with some short quotes included, and it must be cited. The counterargument must, therefore, be real and not assumed or imagined.
- Concede—agree with some part/aspect of the counterargument.
- Refute the counterargument—explain, though, why the counterargument is, as a whole, not a correct argument.
- Return to your thesis/point—tie in your thesis or point as the “correct” argument.
Counterargument example
A common argument against anti-capitalist movements is that capitalism, with all its problems and inequalities, is still the most effective and democratic economic system that humans have invented: J. Collins, in the article “Flawed but Free,” states that the capitalist system is what has lifted billions of people out of poverty and produced the technological innovation that we enjoy today (19). Similarly, Hopkins and Roe argue that the Communist Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia and Soviet Russia are prime examples of the devastation that anti-capitalist economic systems bring. They too acknowledge that capitalism is imperfect, but they contrast those minor imperfections with the death, destruction, and stunted social progress of these Communist systems. It is true that capitalist countries, such as the US, are often responsible for the world’s most successful technological innovations (Harper 11). Further, the horrors of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime cannot be understated, and strife and suffering caused by Soviet Russia is still present today. Yet these arguments showcase fundamental misunderstandings and misidentifications. First, even though the US has created numerous technological innovations that have changed the world, the reason for this is certainly not capitalism alone, and capitalism may not even be a factor. Capitalism can in fact impede innovation because it is entirely profit driven, and humans are creatures of habit—people fear the unknown. Therefore, consumers are more likely to purchase things that are familiar, comfortable, and do not challenge their perceptions, and capitalist businesses choose to provide these goods without innovation (Abiola 5). Companies prioritize sales and the ability to make the most money possible while spending the least to create and manufacture their goods (a core tenant of capitalism) rather than prioritizing what humans and societies need to be happy and healthy, or the human desire for art and beauty and thus “true human innovation dies in capitalist hands” (Abiola 6). Also, while capitalist countries boast high GDPs, this is not an indication of individual wealth of its citizens. The US reports that only 11% of US citizens “live in poverty” (“US Economic Report: 2022”), but the US standard metric for poverty is bizarrely low and actually only reflects the poorest. A better way to understand how Americans are doing financially is look at the percentage of US citizens “living paycheck to paycheck”: between 55% and 63% (Rhodes). This means that most Americans are one medical emergency, or one lost job, away from financial collapse. Capitalism has not lifted the US, or any nation, out of poverty, nor has it provided a minimum standard of living accessible to everyone.