Arguments about Arguments: Systematic, Critical, and Historical Essays In Logical Theory

This book brings together a selection of essays by one of the pre-eminent scholars of informal logic. Following an approach that is empirical but not psychological, dialectical but not dialogical, and focused on interpretation without neglecting evaluation, Maurice Finocchiaro defines concepts such as reasoning, argument, argument analysis, critical reasoning, methodological reflection, judgment, critical thinking, and informal logic. He defends theses about the rarity of fallacies but the frequency of fallacious reasoning; the asymmetry of positive and negative in argumentation, interpretation, and evaluation; and the role of critical thinking in science, among other topics. And he presents extended critiques of the views of many contemporary scholars, while also integrating into the discussion Arnauld's Port-Royal Logic, Gramsci's theory of intellectuals, and case studies from the history of science, particularly the work of Galileo, Newton, Huygens, and Lavoisier.