The Essentials of Argumentation
Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE DISCUSSION. I. PLAN. By discussion is meant the methodical development; of a proposition; or, the systematic presentation of a proposition and proofs, along with all necessary definitions, explanations and illustrations. These, Definition. £ to be effective, must be arranged according to some well-organized plan. The discussion may be followed by an appeal to the feelings; or this appeal may be made at different points in the discourse, as the matter presented warrants it. No one plan can be prescribed for all kinds of discussions. The arrangement of material will vary according to (1) the subject and the purpose of the discourse; (2) the form of the proposition and ne kinds of arguments used; (3) the relation of subject and speaker to those addressed; (4) the time at the speaker's disposa
...l; (5) the fact of arguing independently, or of being preceded or followed by an opponent; (6) whether the production is to be addressed to readers or hearers. But however such relations may modify a plan, a well-ordered presentation is necessary. As the element of place governs the order of details in description, and that of time, in narration,?so logical effect is the chief determining element in arranging the parts of an argumentative discourse. Argu- mentation has its origin in human thought, and must be governed by the laws of humanthought. Its material is more subjective than that of description and narration; its method, therefore, is less subject to prescription, and depends more upon the individual arguer's logical sense, and ability to arrange his material effectively. The problem is to find a sequence that shall lead forward naturally, aid the memory, compel the understanding and move the will. In general, the plan must make the conclusion to be reache...
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