In ‘The making of argumentation theory’ van Eemeren and van Haaften describe the contributions made to the five components of a full-fledged research program of argumentation theory by four prominent approaches to the discipline: formal dialectics, rhetoric/pragmalinguistics, informal logic, and pragma-dialectics. Most of these approaches do not contribute to all components, but to some in particular. Starting from the pragma-dialectical view of the relationship between dialectical reasonableness and rhetorical effectiveness – the crucial issue in argumentation theory – van Eemeren and (...) van Haaften explain the positions taken by representatives from the approaches discussed and indicate where they differ from the pragma-dialectical approach. It transpires that approaches focusing on dialectical reasonableness are, next to pragma-dialectics, formal dialectics and informal logic; approaches focusing on rhetorical effectiveness are, next to pragma-dialectics, rhetoric and pragmalinguistics, and the informal logician Tindale. When it comes to the relationship between dialectical reasonableness and rhetorical effectiveness, some interest in it is shown in rhetoric and pragmalinguistics, but only in pragma-dialectics and in Tindale’s work is it a real focus. The main difference between Tindale’s view and the pragma-dialectical view is that in pragma-dialectics the decisive role in deciding about reasonableness is assigned to a code of conduct for reasonable argumentative discourse and in Tindale’s approach this role is assigned to Tindale’s interpretation of the Perelmanian universal audience. (shrink)

The extended pragma-dialectical argumentation theory assumes that people engaged in argumentative discourse manoeuvre strategically. In argumentative reality, the strategic manoeuvring is often carried out according to an argumentative strategy. Language users make an effort to present their strategic manoeuvres in a specific way and the analysis of the stylistic choices in actual argumentative discourse is the most important basis for identification and analysis of argumentative strategies. In this article, it is shown what requirements must be satisfied by a systematic stylistic (...) analysis of argumentative discourse, and the results of such an analysis are illustrated by means of a case study. (shrink)

In ‘The Making of Pragma-Dialectics: A Synopsis’ the authors give an overview of the pragma-dialectical argumentation theory. First they characterize the five components of the research program: critical rationalistic philosophy, pragma-dialectical theory, qualitative and quantitative empirical research, resolution-oriented reconstructive analysis, reflection-minded practical intervention. Then they explain the four metatheoretical principles underlying the pragma-dialectical research: functionalization, socialization, externalization, and dialectification. Next the various phases in the systematic development of pragma-dialectics in the past 50 years are described: (1) conceptualization of the theoretical (...) framework, (2) validation of the theoretical proposals, (3) empiricalization of the research efforts, (4) instrumentalization of the reconstructive analysis, (5) extension of the standard theory, (6) contextualization of the extended theory. In conclusion, a further explanation is given of the pragmadialectical approach of the crucial relationship between dialectical reasonableness and rhetorical effectiveness. (shrink)