I thought Stephen Toulmin had the most useful formulation of argumentation. "Toulmin's practical argument is intended to focus on the justificatory function of

I thought Stephen Toulmin had the most useful formulation of argumentation. "Toulmin's practical argument is intended to focus on the justificatory function of argumentation, as opposed to the inferential function of theoretical arguments. Whereas theoretical arguments make inferences based on a set of principles to arrive at a claim, practical arguments first find a claim of interest, and then provide justification for it. Toulmin believed that reasoning is less an activity of inference, involving the discovering of new ideas, and more a process of testing and sifting already existing ideas—an act achievable through the process of justification." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Toulmin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Toulmin