Argumentation and Critical Decision Making

The first and most thoroughly developed audience-oriented argumentation text, Argumentation and Critical Decision Making presents argumentation as a cooperative, communicative process. The text examines the general principles of argument in a rigorous yet readable manner and then applies those principles to different spheres of life—law, science, religion, business, and politics—to explore how conventions of argument change when applied to these real world arenas. Focusing on the dynamics of decision-making and using real life examples to illustrate principles, this book aims to help readers develop practical argumentation skills within the world of their daily lives.

The first and most thoroughly developed audience-oriented argumentation text, Argumentation and Critical Decision Making, presents argumentation as a cooperative, communicative process.

The text examines the general principles of argument in a rigorous yet readable manner and then applies those principles to different spheres of life—law, science, religion, business, and politics—to explore how conventions of argument change when applied to these real-world arenas. Focusing on the dynamics of decision making, and using real-life examples to illustrate principles, this book aims to help readers develop practical argumentation skills in their daily lives.

New to This Edition

• The sixth edition has a new organization, with the chapters arranged in three sections: Principles, Tools, and Applications.
• Chapters 1 through 3 have been restructured and shortened, making them a more fluid and understandable introduction to argumentation.
• An increased emphasis on decision making rather than debating keeps the text away from the highly aggressive, adversarial tone of some other texts.
• Chapter 3 now includes a discussion of post-modern and feminist approaches to argumentation and shows that argumentation is valuable not only to those who are aggressive but also to everyone else.