Argumentation

Chapter 4 introduces the topic of argumentation with a case study involving Greta Thunberg’s speech at the United Nations on the topic of climate change. The chapter then differentiates argumentation from arguing by defining the terms and offering various interpretations of them, including Tannen’s criticism of argument. This chapter discusses ethical arguing with a focus on a democratic style of arguing. The text then explains Goodnight’s three spheres of argumentation—private, technical, and public—and offers examples of each sphere. Next, syllogisms are explained before the text discusses deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning. Finally, this chapter details the various views on rhetoric, including the following: Aristotle’s ethos, pathos, and logos; Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca’s The New Rhetoric ; and Toulmin’s model of argumentation, including claims, data, warrants, backing, rebuttals, and qualifiers.