Table of Contents

1: Dialectic and the Structure of Argument.- 2: Generalizing the Notion of Argument.- 3: Logic, Epistemology and Argument Appraisal.- 4: The Relation of Argument to Inference.- 5: Inconsistency, Rationality and Relativism.- 6: Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc.- 7: Logic, Coherence and Psychology.- 8: Logic, Coherence and Psychology Revisited.- 9: Logical Form and the Link Between Premisses and Conclusion.- 10: Argument Schemes and the Evaluation of Presumptive Reasoning.- 11: Presumption and Argument Schemes.- 12: Cognitive Science and the Future of Rational Criticism.- 13: Logic, Dialectic and the Practice of Rational Criticism.- References.

Reviews

"These papers develop a distinct, plausible and coherent approach to the understanding and evaluation of argument. This approach sets out a much more comprehensive agenda than is common in the current literature. The papers link issues in the philosophy of argument (`informal logic,' `theory of argumentation') with the mainstream of post-war Anglo-American philosophical work."
(David Hitchcock, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada)