ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the forms of reasoning that can be used to persuade an audience based on factual evidence. Of all forms of proof, those from reasoning are the most cognitive (as opposed to “affective” or “emotional”). In rhetoric, reasoning is the capacity to interpret and organize elements of a problematic situation in order to prove certain practical judgments to be more prudent than others. The relevant concepts for logical reasoning are the relationships among claims, grounds, and warrants; the list of most common warrants (generalization, sign, causal, principle, and analogy); and the list of common fallacies. The goal of this chapter is to show how to develop rational arguments, based on the best available evidence, that are also clear and persuasive by being related to audience beliefs and attitudes.
