In analyzing chapter 7 of Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, we are able to apply the fundamentals of British philosopher Stephen Toulmin’s concept of what methods people utilize in their attempts to make a persuasive and sensible argument. Pollan’s points about the fast food meal from McDonald’s that he and his family share on the road can be considered in these terms:
1) Claim: What you want to argue/persuade for
Pollan’s Claim: Corn has turned the “real meal” into an industrialized, fast food meal.
2) Grounds: Data and hard facts and reasoning
Pollan’s Grounds: 1 in every 3 Americans eat fast food every single day; the chicken nugget has liberated the chicken from the fork and plate, enabling consumers to eat it on the go; chicken nuggets now made with white-meat, indicating that they were previously even less associated with authentic chicken; Pollan counts 13 of the 38 ingredients of the McNugget that can be derived from corn; subtotals his family’s meal as consisting of 6 pounds worth of corn before outside influences such as corn used for transportation, packaging etc. are factored in; had individual units of meal analyzed to determine what percentage of each item consisted of corn products: soda (100%), milk shake (78%), salad dressing (65%), chicken nuggets (56%), cheeseburger (52%), and french fries (23%); noted that his family finished their meal in under ten minutes
3) Warrant: Linking claim and grounds/legitimizing
Pollan’s Warrant: Corn is taking over the American food market, from the produce/meat to the packaging to the transportation involved.
4) Backing: Support for warrant; answers questions
Pollan’s Backing: Mentions how corn crops stretch for 80 million acres across the continent; discusses overproduction of corn and the many ways it is put to use to eliminate the surplus; points out that not only do meals rely heavily on corn-based ingredients, but the transportation of such meals requires corn for the ethanol for the vehicle’s fuel
Also, Pollan asks “Why should it matter that we have become a race of corn eaters such that the world has never seen? Is it necessarily a bad thing?” (pg. 117)
Attests to the fact that the use of corn involves a great loss of energy-as corn passes through the food chain, the amount of calories (food energy) is reduced by a factor of ten at each level; mentions how overproduction of corn has harmed farmers-the corn crops and industrial means by which they are produced have led to soil erosion, pollution, negative health effects for communities/animals/landscape, etc.
5) Qualifier: Specifically, precision; avoiding sweeping generalization/guarantees
Pollan’s Qualifier: In many cases corn has become a vital, if not key factor, in the modern day production of foodstuffs in American society. Under these conditions the food market has become more industrialized, which not only leads to an increase in processed goods, but an inclination to spread this production “efficiency” to the “real meal” by advocating the quicker and cheaper fast food meal as its replacement.
6) Rebuttal: Pre-empting or talking through counter-arguments
Pollan’s Rebuttal: By utilizing corn in the production of foodstuffs, capitalism is able to flourish due to profits that increase faster than the population; by expanding American’s previously “fixed stomachs,” we are able to convince them to consumer more calories, and thus deplete some of the corn surplus; fast food induces nostalgia for some, therefore becoming a sort of “comfort food” that is packed with not only memories, but carbohydrates and fat as well, all of which purportedly evoke stress relievers and feel-good chemicals in the brain
