Description
Cambridge A Theory Of Argument by Mark Vorobej
A Theory of Argument is an advanced textbook intended for students in philosophy, communications studies and linguistics who have completed at least one course in argumentation theory, information logic, critical thinking or formal logic. Containing nearly 400 exercises, Mark Vorobej develops a novel approach to argument interpretation and evaluation. One of the key themes of the book is that we cannot succeed in distinguishing good argument from bad arguments until we learn to listen carefully to others. Part I develops a relativistic account of argument cogency that allows for rational disagreement. Part II offers a comprehensive and rigorous account of argument diagramming. Hybrid arguments are contrasted with linked and convergent arguments, and a novel technique is introduced for graphically recording disagreements with authorial claims. Part I. Theory: 1. Tocqueville's comparative perspectives Seymour Drescher; 2. Tocqueville on 1789: preconditions, precipitants, and triggers Jon Elster; 3. Tocqueville's new political science Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop; 4. Tocqueville, political philosopher Pierre Manent; Part II. Texts: 5. Tocqueville's Democracy in America reconsidered James T. Schleifer; 6. Translating Tocqueville: the constraints of classicism Arthur Goldhammer; 7. The writer Engage: Tocqueville and political rhetoric Laurence Guellec; 8. The shifting puzzles of Tocqueville's The Old Regime and the Revolution Robert T. Gannett Jr.; Part III. Themes: 9. Tocqueville and civil society Dana Villa; 10. Tocqueville on threats to liberty in democracies Melvin Richter; 11. Tocqueville and democratic religious experience Joshua Mitchell; 12. Tocqueville on fraternity and fratricide Cheryl B. Welch; Part IV. Two Traditions: 13. Tocqueville and the French Francoise Melonio; 14. Tocqueville and the Americans: Democracy in America as read in nineteenth-century America Olivier Zunz.