ABSTRACT
The method of evaluating the defense of standpoints by checking the relations between premises and starting points can be termed identification procedure: It is verified whether the propositions concerned can be identified as part of the joint point of departure. Yet it cannot be evaluated solely by means of the identification procedure whether the defense of the standpoint is indeed adequate for resolving the dispute. At a given moment, a proposition can just as well be questioned that is clearly not one of the common starting points and then there must also be a way of testing its acceptability. 1 Otherwise, the evaluative system would only allow for “closed” discussions, in which no new information is added to the agreed starting points and received wisdom that is available at the opening of the discussion. Moreover, even if a proposition can indeed be identified as a common starting point, the question remains whether it adequately supports the standpoint at issue.
