Media Argumentation: Dialect, Persuasion and Rhetoric

407 Pages·2007·5.37 MB·English

by  Douglas Walton

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MediaArgumentation
Dialectic,Persuasion,andRhetoric
Media argumentation is a powerful force in our lives. From polit-
ical speeches to television commercials to war propaganda, it can
effectivelymobilizepoliticalaction,influencethepublic,andmarket
products. This book presents a new and systematic way of thinking
about the influence of mass media in our lives, showing the inter-
sectionofmediasourceswithargumentationtheory,informallogic,
computationaltheory,andtheoriesofpersuasion.Usingavarietyof
casestudiesthatrepresentargumentsthattypicallyoccurinthemass
media, Douglas Walton demonstrates how tools recently developed
in argumentation theory can be usefully applied to the identifica-
tion,analysis,andevaluationofmediaarguments.Hedrawsonthe
mostrecentdevelopmentsinartificialintelligence,includingdialog-
icaltheoriesofargument,whichhedeveloped,aswellasspeechact
theory. Walton provides a structural analysis not only of individual
typesofargumentcommonlyemployedinthemassmedia,butalso
of pragmatic frameworks (models of goal-directed conversation) in
which such arguments are used. Each chapter presents solutions to
problemscentraltounderstanding,analyzing,andcriticizingmedia
argumentation.
Douglas Walton is professor of philosophy at the University of
Winnipeg.Aninternationallyknownscholarandauthorofmorethan
thirtybooksintheareasofargumentation,logic,andartificialintelli-
gence,hehasreceivedmajorresearchgrantsfromtheSocialSciences
and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Isaak Walton
KilliamMemorialFoundation.Dr.WaltonalsoreceivedtheISSAPrize
fromtheInternationalSocietyfortheStudyofArgumentationforhis
contributionstoresearchonfallacies,argumentation,andinformal
logic.
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Media Argumentation
Dialectic, Persuasion, and Rhetoric
DOUGLAS WALTON
UniversityofWinnipeg
iii
CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS
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Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB28RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
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© Douglas Walton 2007
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 2007
ISBN-13 978-0-511-35469-4 eBook (EBL)
ISBN-10 0-511-35469-X eBook (EBL)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-87690-2 hardback
ISBN-10 0-521-87690-7 hardback
ISBN-13 978-0-521-70030-6 paperback
ISBN-10 0-521-70030-2 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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ForKaren,withlove
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Contents
Acknowledgments page xi
Introduction 1
1 Logic,Dialectic,andRhetoric 7
1. TheViewpointofInformalLogic 8
2. TheOldDialecticoftheGreeks 11
3. TheOppositionbetweenRhetoricandDialectic 15
4. TopicsandFallacies 19
5. Persuasion,SocialInfluence,andDemocracy 23
6. ArgumentationSchemes 26
7. BasicPracticalReasoning 30
8. Value-BasedPracticalReasoning 34
9. TheStarTrekExample 37
10. TheAimsofDialecticalandRhetoricalArgumentation 41
2 TheSpeechActofPersuasion 46
1. TheBelief-Desire-IntentionApproachandtheCommitment
Approach 47
2. BasicComponentsofPersuasion 53
3. ChainingofArgumentation 56
4. TypesofDialogue 60
5. Deliberation 64
6. ClosingoftheDeliberationDialogue 66
7. ActsofPersuasion,Inducement,andMakingaThreat 69
8. NegotiationDialogueandPersuasion 73
9. RelevanceandArgumentDiagramming 79
10. TheCognitiveComponentofPersuasion 84
11. TheNewDefinitionoftheSpeechActofPersuasion 87
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viii Contents
3 Propaganda 91
1. NegativeConnotations 92
2. PublicDiscourseandReason 96
3. AppealtothePeopleRevisited 99
4. TheDialecticalViewpointonPropaganda 104
5. PersuasionandPropaganda 106
6. CharacteristicsofPropaganda 109
7. IsPropagandaNecessarilyDishonestorIrrational? 114
8. OpennesstoContraryEvidence 117
9. DeceptivenessandRelevanceinPropaganda 120
10. EvaluatingArgumentationinPropaganda 122
4 AppealstoFearandPity 127
1. AppealstoFearandPityinMassMedia 128
2. AppealstoFear 131
3. AppealstoPity 134
4. TheRespondent-to-DialogueProblem 138
5. SimulativeReasoning 142
6. TheDualProcessModelofPersuasion 145
7. TheStructureofAppealstoFear 147
8. TheStructureofAppealstoPity 150
9. Multi-agentStructureofBothTypesofArgument 153
10. WhenAreAppealstoFearandPityFallacious? 156
5 AdHominemArgumentsinPoliticalDiscourse 161
1. ClassifyingtheTypesofAdHominemArgument 163
2. TheCircumstantialandOtherTypes 165
3. ArgumentfromCommitment 169
4. TheGoreCase 173
5. TheBattalinoCase 177
6. ClassifyingtheArgumentintheBattalinoCase 180
7. EvaluatingtheArgumentintheBattalinoCase 183
8. ImplicatureandInnuendo 185
9. EvaluatingtheArgumentintheGoreCase 190
10. EvaluatingtheArgumentsRhetoricallyandDialectically 192
6 ArgumentsBasedonPopularOpinion 198
1. InfluencingtheMassAudience 199
2. AppealtoPopularOpinionasanArgument 202
3. CasesinPoint 204
4. TheFormoftheArgument 207
5. FallaciousAppealstoPopularOpinion 211
6. EndoxainGreekDialectic 213
7. PublicOpinionasInformedDeliberation 215
8. AMoreCarefulBasisforEvaluatingCases 218