Unless they’re deeply conflicted, few people carry on extended arguments with themselves. The kinds of arguments that are worth addressing in academic essays revolve around issues that affect a larger community. To identify issues that might interest you and your readers, explore popular, professional, and academic conversations. In almost every case, you’ll find points of disagreement and debate that bring people together in discussions — sometimes polite and sometimes anything but — about the challenges that confront us.
Recognizing ongoing conversations can give you insights into debatable issues that might serve as the basis for your argumentative essay. Try listing issues from one or more of these areas — or from the writing project ideas at the end of this chapter — and then explore your thoughts about them (see more strategies for generating ideas). When you’ve finished, review what you’ve written to identify the areas that seem most promising, and then select one or two that interest you most. Jot down your thoughts about what you already know and what you would need to learn before you can develop your argument.