A Theoretical Research On The Concept Of Argument

Argument has always been an important subject matter in logical theory. So this logical thesis tries to focus on a theoretical research on the concept of argument, based on the development of logic and argumentation theory in contemporary era.For quite a long time, argument is just understood as a "premises-conclusion" complex in the study of argument. Whereas, there has been a transformation in the understanding of argument happened, following the rise of informal logic and argumentation theory, from the static, structural way to a dialogical, pragmatic one. Thus, taking this transformation as an important clue in this thesis, the author tries to give a critical review of the development of the concept of argument at length, ranging from the concepts of argument within modern formal logic and introductory logic in early twentieth century (regarded as traditional concepts of argument) to those within informal logic and argumentation theory nowadays (regarded as contemporary concepts of argument). On the one hand, it indicates some theoretical difficulties in traditional concepts of argument and exposes its formalist origin; on the other hand, it describes the theoretical development of contemporary concepts of argument under the influence of the pragmatic turn and discusses some problematic issues within it. In the end, grounded on this critical review, the author makes an attempt to reflect on some disciplinary problems about argumentation theory and informal logic.This thesis has been unfolded in five parts.The first part is a brief introduction, in which the author firstly summarizes the dispute of the concept of argument within Chinese logical academia during 1990s, then gives a brief analysis of argument in ordinary language and introduces the major idea and framework of this thesis.Chapter one is mainly a theoretical research on the traditional concepts of argument. Based on a critical review of the concepts of Susan Hacck, I · Copi and General Logic, the author reveals the bondage of formal validity in the traditional concepts of argument, which accordingly leads the traditional concepts to embrace a structural and formalized way and encounter the inextricable problems in being differentiated from proof or explanation.Chapter two is mainly a theoretical research on the contemporary concepts of argument. After a critical analysis of the concepts of argument of Ralph Johnson, Walton, Willard, Gilbert and Jacobs, the author describes the transformations of the paradigm of understanding argument, which are from "the prescriptive concern of argument" to "the descriptive concern of argument" and from "argument as product" to "argument as process". Then, using an analyzing framework integrated with the two dimensions of argument, argument₁/argument₂ and product/process, it indicates that the contemporary concepts of argument are conceptualized from two special pragmatic backgrounds, disputation and argumentation.Chapter three are mainly some explorations of the problematic issues rising within the development of the contemporary concepts of argument under the influence of the pragmatic turn. Firstly, the author tries to rethink and question about...