Cooperative Argumentation: A Model for Deliberative Community

As the globe shrinks, it is more important than ever to discuss ways for diverse groups to coexist peacefully. However, the individualistic ethic of many competitive, adversarial models of argument undermines the interdependence so critical to an increasingly global society. This practical text offers a fresh approach to argumentation--one that combines reason and refutation with community building, mutual respect, and a recognition of interdependence. The authors provide a wide variety of examples to illustrate concrete proposals for cultivating moral abilities, cognitive skills, and communicative virtues. The ability to engage in cooperative argumentation across differences--moral, social, economic, political ethnic--permits individuals to resolve conflicts peacefully, effectively, and responsibly.

Titles of related interest from Waveland Press: Hollihan-Baaske, Arguments and Arguing: The Products and Process of Human Decision Making, Fourth Edition (ISBN 9781478647690); Infante, Arguing Constructively (ISBN 9780881333275); and Makau-Marty, Dialogue and Deliberation (9781478600657).

"Cooperative Argumentation will serve as a friendly nudge in the direction of thinking about how traditionalism can be recast in terms of cooperation and consensus building. For those looking for a text that reflects a straightforward commitment to values such as building deliberative communities, this text will be a welcome addition to the available resources."

(Argumentation and Advocacy, Spring 2002)