In logic and philosophy, an argument is an attempt to persuade someone of something, or give evidence or reasons for accepting a particular conclusion. Argument may also refer to: Mathematics and computer science Argument (complex analysis), a function which returns the polar angle of a complex number Command-line argument, an item of information provided to a program when it is started Parameter (computer programming), a piece of data provided as input to a subroutine Argument principle, a theorem in complex analysis An argument of a function, also known as an independent variable Language and rhetoric Argument (literature), a brief summary, often in prose, of a poem or section of a poem or other work Argument (linguistics), a phrase that appears in a syntactic relationship with the verb in a clause Oral argument in the United States, a spoken presentation to a judge or appellate court by a lawyer (or parties when representing themselves) of the legal reasons why they should prevail Closing argument, in law, the concluding statement of each party's counsel reiterating the important arguments in a court case Other uses Musical argument, a concept in the theory of musical form Argument (ship), an Australian sloop wrecked in 1809 Das Argument, a German academic journal Argument Clinic, a Monty Python sketch A disagreement between two or more parties or the discussion of the disagreement Argument (horse) See also The Argument (disambiguation)