Ethical Argumentation

Douglas Walton

Lexington Books, 2009 - Philosophy - 328 pages

Bridging the gap between applied ethics and ethical theory, Ethical Argumentation draws on recent research in argumentation theory to develop a more realistic model of how ethical justification actually works. Douglas Walton presents a new model of ethical argumentation in which ethical justification is analyzed as a defeasible form of argumentation considered in a balanced dialogue. Walton's new model employs techniques such as: asking the appropriate critical questions, probing accepted values, finding nonexplicit assumptions in an ethical argument, and deconstructing emotive terms and persuasive definitions. This book will be of significant interest to scholars and advanced students in applied ethics and theory.

Contents

• Fundamentals of Ethical Argumentation: 1
• Legal Arguments 25: 2
• Hard Cases and Easy Cases: 5
• Rosss Theory of Ethical Reasoning: 8
• Comparison of Ethical and Legal Arguments: 10
• The Problem of Emotive Language: 13
• Toward a New Framework: 18
• Aristotle on Endoxic Ethical Justification: 21
• Evaluating Ethical Argumentation in a Dialogue Format: 24
• Deliberation and Practical Reasoning: 29
• Concluding Perspectives: 33
• The Layered Maieutic Case Study Method: 39
• A Case from Medical Ethics: 40
• The Layer of Deliberation: 42
• Dialectical Shifts: 47
• The Layer of Critical Discussion: 49
• Maieutic Insight and Commitment: 52
• The Case Analysis and Discussion: 54
• The Structure of a Layered Case Study: 56
• Current Status of Casuistry in Ethics: 61
• How to Evaluate a Layered Case Study: 63
• Summary of the Layered Maieutic Case Study Method: 66
• The Central Characteristics of Ethical Reasoning: 69
• The Problem of Circular Ethical Justification: 71
• Ethical and Legal Reasoning Reconsidered: 74
• Chained Inferences in Retrospective Ethical Reasoning: 80
• Deep Disagreements and Ultimate Ethical Premises: 86
• Facts and Values in Ethical Reasoning: 91
• Abductive Inference: 94
• Endoxic Premises: 101
• How to Determine Endoxic Premises: 108
• Summary of the Structure of Ethical Reasoning: 112
• Persuasive Definitions: 119
• Stevensons Theory of Persuasive Definitions: 120
• Public Policy Implications of Persuasive Definitions: 125
• ValueLaden Terms and Moral Persuasion: 129
• A Pragmatic Approach to Definitions: 134
• Use of Loaded Terms: 139
• The Deceptive Aspect of Persuasive Definitions: 143
• Is There a Fallacy of Loaded Terms?: 145
• How to Evaluate a Persuasive Definition: 149
• Uses in Other Contexts: 152
• Dialectic Persuasion and Rhetoric: 155
• What is Dialectic?: 156
• The New Dialectic: 159
• The General Idea of Persuasion Dialogue: 164
• Critical Discussion and Rational Persuasion: 169
• Fallacies and Faults of Arguments: 175
• The Maieutic Function and Learning What Your Goals Are: 178
• The Opposition between Rhetoric and Dialectic: 183
• Persuasion Action and Ethical Justification: 187
• A New Program for Studying Ethical Argumentation: 192
• The Probative Function: 199
• The Probative Function and Circular Arguments: 200
• Account of the Probative Function in Sextus Empiricus: 203
• The Problem of Circular Reasoning as Treated in Ancient Sources: 207
• Infinite Regress Arguments: 209
• Types of Arguments: 213
• Linked and Convergent Arguments: 217
• Chaining of Arguments: 219
• Doubt Reduction and Chaining: 223
• The Importance of the Probative Function: 226
• How the Probative Function Works: 230
• The New System of Layered Justification: 235
• Subjective and Objective: 236
• Attitudes Emotions and Rationality: 246
• Evidence Emotion and Ethical Justification: 249
• Emotivism Relativism and Postmodernism: 253
• The Dialectical Shift to a Verbal Dispute: 257
• Multiple Definitions of Ethical Terms: 261
• An Argumentation System for Ethical Definitions: 264
• The Difference between Layered Ethical Justification and Propaganda: 270
• Summary of the Argumentation System: 276
• The Pragmatic Nature of Ethical Argumentation: 281
• Bibliography: 289
• Index: 303

About the author

Douglas Walton holds the Assumption University Chair in Argumentation Studies and is Distinguished Research Fellow of the Centre for Research in Reasoning, Argumentation, and Rhetoric at the University of Windsor.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Ethical Argumentation
• Author: Douglas Walton
• Publisher: Lexington Books, 2009
• ISBN: 0739141384, 9780739141380
• Length: 328 pages
• Subjects: Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy; Philosophy / General; Philosophy / Political