This course offers an introduction to Argumentation Theory. Students will gain an overview of contemporary philosophical studies addressing questions such as ‘what is an argument?’, ‘what is the point of argumentation?’, ‘how should we argue?’, and ‘how do we evaluate arguments?’. The course is structured in three parts. Part I ‘The concept of argument’ surveys definitions of ‘argument’ in terms of their logical structure, dialectical function, and rhetorical power. Part II ‘Argumentation theories’ studies different methodological approaches to argumentation featuring topics such as argument schemes and formal and informal fallacies. Part III ‘Argumentation studies’ examines contemporary research in Argumentation Theory, regarding topics such as the differences between adversarial and cooperative argumentation, the principle of charity in argument reconstruction, the ethics of argumentation, and presumptions and the burden of proof in argumentation.
- Teacher: Álvaro Domínguez Armas