Open AccessAnalysis of Argument Strategies of Attack and Cooption: Stock Cases, Formalization, and Argument Reconstruction
Author(s) -
Aaron BenZe’ev
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
informal logic
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.368
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 2293-734X
pISSN - 0824-2577
DOI - 10.22329/il.v17i2.2412
Subject(s) - argument (complex analysis) , appeal , construal level theory , epistemology , character (mathematics) , stock (firearms) , logical analysis , philosophy , sociology , law , mathematics , history , political science , social science , archaeology , mathematical statistics , statistics , biochemistry , chemistry , geometry
Three common strategies used by informal logicians are considered: (1) the appeal to standard cases, (2) the attempt to partially formalize so-called "informal fallacies," and (3) restatement of arguments in such a way as to make their logical character more perspicuous. All three strategies are found to be useful. Attention is drawn to several advantages of a "stock case" approach, a minimalist approach to formalization is recommended, and doubts are raised about the applicability, from a logical point of view, of a principle of charitable construal in the reconstruction of arguments.