Interpersonal argumentation: Conflict and reason‐giving

The fields of argumentation and interpersonal conflict have much to gain from one another. Recently, theorists interested in interpersonal argument have focused on the role of conflict in argumentation. Critics of this approach believe that such a focus jeopardizes the goal of conceptual clarity by diminishing the role of reason‐giving as the key to defining the field. But they fail to consider the possibility of focusing on both conflict and reason‐giving in argumentation. They also fail to consider the fact that viewing argumentation as distinct from conflict can increase the distance between the concept of argumentation and its actual practice.

Notes

Robert Trapp is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts, Stonehill College.