Logical Analysis On Argumentation And Persuasion In The Warring States Stratagems

As a compilation of strategists' debates in China more than 2000 years ago, The Warring States Stratagems is disputed due to its argumentation and persuasion relying on ingenious language and adaptable skill. Based on informal logic and argumentation theory, applying communication studies and persuasion theory, this article compares the similarities and differences between the argumentation and persuasion in The Warring States Stratagems and traditional formal logic, informal logic, pragma-dialectics.This article has four parts:Chapter One tries to distinguish the types of the argumentation and persuasion in The Warring States Stratagems, mainly according to the type of Walton's dialogue theory.Chapter Two focuses on the dialectical level and rhetorical characteristics of essays about strategy in The Warring States Stratagems. Most of the argumentation and persuasion in The Warring States Stratagems are single-subjective or unilateralism, Arguments 1 or Arguments 2 as the results. For lack of the democratic and critical spirit and too much emphasis on the practical purpose and the resourcefulness, argumentation and persuasion of The Warring States Stratagems are inevitably characterized by classical persuasion and rhetoric, instead of bidirectional and interactive action of the new rhetoric. Strategists are confident in their own wisdom and despise the wisdom of the opponents, while they emphasize the subject characteristics of the opponents, which constitute two paradoxical parts when strategists cope with subject relations.Chapter Three attempts to analyze the mode of argumentation and persuasion in The Warring States Stratagems in informal logic methods such as backtracking, categorization, practical reasoning, other reasonable reasoning involving information source,ect. This chapter compares characteristics , forms and reasoning intensity between Pi Reasoning and analogism.Chapter Four researches the fallacy forms and their reasons which appear in The Warring States Stratagems from the angles of violating formal logical rule fallacy, language fallacy and dialogue cooperation rule fallacy.