Thou Shalt Not Squander Life – Comparing Five Approaches to Argument Strength

Autor: Zenker Frank, Dębowska-Kozłowska Kamila, Godden David, Selinger Marcin, Wells Simon
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Studies in Logic, Grammar and Rhetoric, Vol 68, Iss 1, Pp 133-167 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2199-6059
DOI: 10.2478/slgr-2023-0007
Popis: Different approaches analyze the strength of a natural language argument in different ways. This paper contrasts the dialectical, structural, probabilistic (or Bayesian), computational, and empirical approaches by exemplarily applying them to a single argumentative text (Epicureans on Squandering Life; Aikin & Talisse, 2019). Rather than pitching these approaches against one another, our main goal is to show the room for fruitful interaction. Our focus is on a dialectical analysis of the squandering argument as an argumentative response that voids an interlocutor’s right to assertion. This analysis addresses the pragmatic dimensions of arguing and implies an argument structure that is consistent with empirical evidence of perceived argument strength. Results show that the squandering argument can be evaluated as a (non-fallacious) ad hominem argument, which however is not necessarily stronger than possible arguments attacking it.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals