Informal Logic: A Pragmatic Approach, 2nd edition

367 Pages·2008·1.07 MB·English

by  Douglas Walton

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Informal Logic
InformalLogicisanintroductoryguidebooktothebasicprinciplesofcon-
structing sound arguments and criticizing bad ones. Non-technical in
approach, it is based on 186 examples, which Douglas Walton, a lead-
ing authority in the field of informal logic, discusses and evaluates in
clear, illustrative detail. Walton explains how errors, fallacies, and other
key failures of argument occur. He shows how correct uses of argument
arebasedonsoundstrategiesforreasonedpersuasionandcriticalresponses.
Amongthemanysubjectscoveredare:formsofvalidargument,defeasi-
blearguments,relevance,appealstoemotion,personalattack,strawman
argument, jumping to a conclusion, uses and abuses of expert opinion,
problems in drawing conclusions from polls and statistics, loaded terms,
equivocation,argumentsfromanalogy,andtechniquesofposing,replying
to,andcriticizingquestions.
This edition takes into account many new developments in the field
of argumentation study that have occurred since 1989, many created by
the author. Drawing on these developments, Walton includes and ana-
lyzes thirty-six new topical examples and also brings in recent work on
argumentationschemes.
Ideally suited for use in courses in informal logic and introduction
to philosophy, this book will also be valuable to students of pragmatics,
rhetoric,andspeechcommunication.
DouglasWaltonisDistinguishedResearchFellowofCRRAR(Centrefor
Research in Reasoning, Argumentation and Rhetoric) at the University
ofWindsor,andAssumptionUniversityChairinArgumentationStudies
(University of Windsor). The author of more than thirty books, he has
received major research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities
ResearchCouncilofCanadaandtheIsaakWaltonKillamMemorialFoun-
dation. He was awarded the ISSA Prize by the International Society for
theStudyofArgumentationforhiscontributionstoresearchonfallacies,
argumentation, and informal logic, among many honors he has received
forhisachievements.
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Informal Logic
A PRAGMATIC APPROACH
Second Edition
Douglas Walton
University of Winnipeg
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CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB28RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521886178
© Douglas Walton 1989, 2008
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of
relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place
without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2008
ISBN-13 978-0-511-40989-9 eBook (NetLibrary)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-88617-8 hardback
ISBN-13 978-0-521-71380-1 paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls
for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not
guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
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For Karen, with love.
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Contents
Preface page xi
Acknowledgments xv
1 Argumentasreasoneddialogue 1
1.1 Typesofargumentativedialogue 3
1.2 Componentsofargumentativedialogue 8
1.3 Persuasiondialogue(criticaldiscussion) 10
1.4 Negativerulesofpersuasiondialogue 15
1.5 Somemajorinformalfallacies 18
1.6 Thestrawmanfallacy 22
1.7 Argumentfromconsequences 24
1.8 Thecriticalperspective 34
2 Questionsandanswersindialogue 38
2.1 Presuppositionsofquestions 39
2.2 Complexquestions 42
2.3 Haveyoustoppedabusingyourspouse? 46
2.4 Disjunctivequestions 50
2.5 Argumentsfromignorance 56
2.6 Replyingtoaquestionwithaquestion 61
2.7 Beggingthequestion 64
2.8 Questionsinpolls 67
2.9 Advocacyandpushpolling 71
2.10 Question-answerrulesindialogue 73
3 Criticismsofirrelevance 78
3.1 Allegationsofirrelevance 79
3.2 Globalirrelevance 82
3.3 Question-answerrelevance 85
3.4 Settinganagendaforadiscussion 88
3.5 Redherringversuswrongconclusion 92
3.6 Varietiesofcriticismsofirrelevance 99
3.7 Summary 102
4 Appealstoemotion 106
4.1 Argumentumadpopulum 107
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4.2 Theargumentfrompopularity 111
4.3 Problemswithappealstopopularity 114
4.4 Threateningappealstoforce 117
4.5 Furtheradbaculumproblems 124
4.6 Appealstopity 128
4.7 Overt,pictorialappealstopity 130
4.8 Summary 133
5 Validarguments 136
5.1 Deductivevalidity 137
5.2 Identifyingarguments 138
5.3 Validityasasemanticconcept 142
5.4 Validformsofargument 144
5.5 Invalidarguments 149
5.6 Inconsistency 152
5.7 Compositionanddivision 156
5.8 Defeasiblereasoning 159
5.9 Jumpingtoaconclusion 162
5.10 Summary 166
6 Personalattackinargumentation 170
6.1 Theabusiveadhominemargument 171
6.2 Thecircumstantialadhominemargument 177
6.3 Theattackonanarguer’simpartiality 185
6.4 Non-fallaciousadhominemarguments 190
6.5 Replyingtoapersonalattack 194
6.6 Criticalquestionsforanadhominemargument 198
6.7 Importanttypesoferrortocheck 201
6.8 Somecasesforfurtherdiscussion 203
7 Appealstoauthority 209
7.1 Reasonableappealstoauthority 211
7.2 Argumentationschemeforappealtoexpert
opinion 215
7.3 Criticalquestionsfortheappealtoexpertopinion 217
7.4 Threecommonerrorsincitingexpertopinions 223
7.5 Evaluatingappealstoexpertopinioninwritten
sources 225
7.6 Experttestimonyinlegalargumentation 229
7.7 Howexpertistheauthority? 232
7.8 Interpretingwhattheexpertsaid 237
7.9 Abalancedviewofargumentfromexpertopinion 241
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