Claims of fact assert that something is true or not true. You can’t argue whether Zimbabwe is in Africa or whether restaurants on Main Street serve more customers at breakfast than at lunch. These issues can be resolved and verified—in the first case by checking a map, in the second through observation or by checking sales figures. You can, however, argue that Zimbabwe has an unstable government or that restaurants on Main Street are more popular with older patrons than younger ones. Those statements are arguable: What does “unstable” mean? What does “popular” mean? Who is “older” and who is “younger”?

Arguments of fact often pivot on what exactly is “factual.” Facts become arguable when they are questioned, when they raise controversy, when they challenge people’s beliefs. “It’s a fact that the Social Security program will go bankrupt by 2025” is a claim that could be developed in an argument of fact. Very often, so-called facts are a matter of interpretation. At other times, new “facts” call into question older ones. The claim that cell phones increase the incidence of brain tumors, for instance, requires sifting through new “facts” from medical research and scrutinizing who is carrying out the research, who is supporting it financially, and so on. Whenever you are evaluating or writing an argument of fact, it’s important to approach your subject with a healthy skepticism.

In “Why Investing in Fast Food May Be a Good Thing,” Domini makes two claims of fact. The argument in paragraph 3 is guided by the claim of fact that “fast food is a way of life.” Is it? She supports this claim with sales statistics and information on the growth of this industry. Paragraph 4 is guided by the claim of fact that “fast food is a global phenomenon.” She supports this claim with an explanation of fast-food restaurants opening “in nearly every country” and a specific example discussing the changing diet in Greece.

We commonly see arguments of fact that challenge stereotypes or social beliefs. For instance, in Chapter 8, Gender, there is an argument of fact by Matthias Mehl and his colleagues about whether women are more talkative than men (p. 557). Mehl and his colleagues recorded conversations and concluded that the differences are, in fact, very minor. Their findings call into question the stereotype that women are excessively chatty and more talkative than their male counterparts. Mehl’s essay is a clear argument of fact that re-evaluates earlier “facts” and challenges a social myth.