Outline of first topic proposal

· What is the purpose of the argument? What does it hope to achieve?

Carr and Greeves ask the audience:” Does our ability to laugh make humans fitter to survive, and has it helped us to become the number one ape?” Carr and Greeves bring up this argument to support the claim that human laughter makes humans successful species. Laughter must serve some sort of purpose and this is what Carr and Greeves are trying to figure out. They hope to achieve success in their theory by arguing in favor of humans.

· What appeals or techniques does the argument use – emotional, logical, and ethical?

It is emotional in that it provides the visual image of animals laughing which is appealing to the audience.
Logical in that we are provided with the theory that animals have the ability to laugh also, which acts as a contradictory to the argument Carr and Greeves are trying to prove right. The theory that animals laugh, is backed up by examples of research that was done on gorillas and rats. These tests on animals apparently proved that animals do laugh.
Ethical in that human laughter differs from animal laughter due to the different types of humor that each responds to. It is ethical that animals do not have the same sense of humor as humans for humans are better educated and understand more concepts.


· What are the facts used in the argument? What logic (logos)? What evidence? How is evidence arranged and presented?

Facts: Research that gorillas chuckle when tickled, but a chimp’s laugh isn’t the same as a human’s. In a lab rats have been tickled and in effect they chirrup. More sophisticated beasts have a sense of humor that allows them to appreciate simple practical jokes-chimpanzee made the sign for “funny”. Apes may have a sense of humor but cannot compare to human’s sense of humor. The complexity of our jokes would confuse chimps. Humans can claim the ability to make jokes and make others laugh. Although animals may do something funny they can’t actually express it verbally which may make it less comedic. The evidence comes from research and is presented in a manner building up to the conclusion that humans are the number one apes.


· How does the language or style of the argument work to persuade an audience?
Carr and Greeves first present us with the actual argument and then go on to explain possible factors in which humans and animals share the common characteristic of laughter but conclude with the idea that the humor that animals and humans respond to is not comparable and therefore human laughter is much more successful.