Argumentation Theory: A Pragma-Dialectical Perspective

FRANS H. VAN EEMEREN is President of the International Society for the Study of Argumentation (ISSA) and the International Learned Institute of Argumentation Studies (ILIAS), Emeritus Professor of Speech Communication, Argumentation Theory and Rhetoric at the University of Amsterdam, Distinguished Scholar of the National Communication Association (U.S.) and Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Lugano (Switzerland). He is a former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Amsterdam and Guest Professor at Leiden University, Jiangsu University, Sun-yat Sen University and Zhejiang University. Van Eemeren is a Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion. He is the founder of the Pragma-Dialectical theory of argumentation and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Argumentation, the Journal of Argumentation in Context and the accompanying book series Library of Argumentation and Argumentation in Context. The monographs he (co)authored include Speech Acts in Argumentative Discussions (1984), Argumentation, Communication, and Fallacies (1992), Reconstructing Argumentative Discourse (1993), A Systematic Theory of Argumentation (2004), Argumentative Indicators in Discourse (2007), Fallacies and Judgments of Reasonableness (2009), Strategic Maneuvering in Argumentative Discourse (2010), Handbook of Argumentation Theory (2014), Reasonableness and Effectiveness in Argumentative Discourse (2015) and Prototypical Argumentative Patterns in Discourse (2017).

“Van Eemeren’s book is … written in a clear, precise and at the same time accessible style. … I would like to repeat once more that Van Eemeren has written yet another brilliant book on the theory of argumentation, which is a highly welcome, comprehensive and up to date presentation of the research paradigm of Pragma-Dialectics in 2018.” (Manfred Kienpointner, Journal of Argumentation in Context, Vol. 10 (2), 2021)“One can imagine that under the guidance of this monograph readers can more easily find out what other monographs or collections of articles should be consulted if they are interested in any specific research field of Argumentation Theory or, more in particular, Pragma-Dialectics. In this sense, this monograph serves as a matter of fact as a map for readers who would like to achieve a more profound understanding of both Argumentation Theory and Pragma-Dialectics.” (Peng Wu, Argumentation, Vol. 32, 2018)

• Chapter 1. Argumentation theory as a discipline.- Chapter 2. Building a theory of argumentation.- Chapter 3. A model of a critical discussion.- Chapter 4. Critical discussion and the identification of fallacies.- Chapter 5. Descriptive studies of argumentative discourse.- Chapter 6. Analysis as resolution-oriented reconstruction.- Chapter 7. Strategic manoeuvring in argumentative discourse.- Chapter 8. Distinguishing between different kinds of argumentative practices.- Chapter 9. Prototypical argumentative patterns.- Chapter 10. Pragma-dialectics amidst other approaches to argumentation.