Description
Argumentation is a verbal, social, and rational activity aimed at convincing a reasonable critic of the acceptability of a standpoint by putting forward a constellation of propositions justifying or refuting the proposition expressed in the standpoint. (Van Eemeren & Grootendorst 2004, 1) The well-known definition of argumentation by Van Eemeren & Grootendorst reflects what formerly may have been considered a natural dyad of form and function. On the one hand there is the discourse format argumentation (in its restricted meaning) of verbal, quasi-logically related propositional expressions. On the other hand there is a move in the argumen-tation stage of a critical discussion, an attempt to guide a critical audience in its reflection on the acceptability of a standpoint: an appeal to reason. In modern argument theory it is largely accepted that the specific verbal propositional discourse format argumentation (form) is just one way to convey an appeal to reason (function). In this lecture I will first present some examples of multimodal discourse that undeniably convey an appeal to reason and dominate institutionalized practices such as legal discourse. Then I will discuss some of the challenges that a dissociation of form and function brings to argument theory. I intend to do this by putting two seemingly simple questions on the table: • What explains the long lasting neglect and even denial of multimodal appeals to rea-son? • What explains the long lasting idea of a natural dyad between form and function, that is the long lasting association social rationality with verbal propositional formats?| Period | 13 Oct 2017 |
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| Held at | Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, China |