Thomas Paine discusses the question of whether monarchy and hereditary system are reasonable in Common Sense. To those who believe that hereditary system is reasonable, Paine asks and answers, how did the original king come into being? There are only 3 possibilities either by lottery, or by election, or by usurpation, and if the first king was chosen by lot or by election this would set a precedent for later kings, thus denying hereditary practice. If the first king had been usurped, no one would have been so bold as to defend the hereditary throne.
The technique used in Paine's argument is arguing that a proposition does not hold by showing that it contradicts an established proposition.