Four Basic Argument Forms

• Authors: Jean H. M. Wagemans
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This paper provides a theoretical rationale for distinguishing four basic argument forms. On the basis of a survey of classical and contemporary definitions of argument, a set of assumptions is formulated regarding the linguistic and pragmatic aspects of arguments. It is demonstrated how these assumptions yield four different argument forms: (1) first-order predicate arguments, (2) first-order subject arguments, (3) second-order subject arguments, and (4) second-order predicate arguments. These argument forms are then further described and illustrated by means of concrete examples, and it is explained how they are visually represented in the Periodic Table of Arguments.

Keywords

EN

argument classification; argument form; argument schemes; assertion; law of the common term; Periodic Table of Arguments; proposition; types of argument

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Łódzki. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
• Journal: Research in Language
• Year: 2019
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 57-69

Dates

published

2019-03-30

Contributors

author

Jean H. M. Wagemans

• University of Amsterdam, Netherlands

References

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• Wagemans, Jean H. M. 2016. Constructing a Periodic Table of Arguments. In Pat Bondy and Laura Benacquista (eds.), Argumentation, Objectivity, and Bias: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference of the Ontario Society for the Study of Argumentation (OSSA), 18-21 May 2016, 1-12. Windsor, ON: OSSA.
• Wagemans, Jean H. M. 2017. Periodic Table of Arguments: The Atomic Building Blocks of Persuasive Discourse. Published online December 9, 2017. [Online] Available from: www.periodic-table-of-arguments.org. [Accessed on: 7 March 2019]
• Wagemans, Jean H. M. 2018. Assertoric Syllogistic and the Periodic Table of Arguments. In Steve Oswald and Didier Maillat (eds.), Argumentation and Inference: Proceedings of the 2nd European Conference on Argumentation, Fribourg 2017. (Vol. I, pp. 573-588). London: College Publications.

Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/rela-2019-0005