ABSTRACT
As introduced in Chapter 1, processes of argumentation have been related to critical thinking and reasoning since at least the time of Aristotle (384–322 bc). Further, Tindale (1999) recognises at least three different approaches to studying argument. The first is concerned with processes of logical, valid reasoning – including what is implied by accepting a proposition – the rules of evidence which govern how one statement may reasonably be said to support another (Toulmin 1958; Tindale 2007). The second approach is more dialectical and focuses on how participants manage turn-taking to fairly advance their thesis (Carlson 1983; Walton 1984).
