Perlikowski Łukasz, A Theory of Argumentation: The Case of Ethical, Political, and Utopian Thinking

Within the frame of this paper we are aiming to give the reader a clear understanding of the structure of political, ethical and utopian argumentation. Hence, political theory and, to a limited extent, political philosophy will constitute the main field of research. In spite of using particular examples, we are going to focus on the formal structure of arguments. Thus our conclusions will be general in character and applicable also to other theories and standpoints. To achieve this objective we shall employ a well-known method in theory of argumentation, one which was proposed by Stephen Toulmin. We have found his model of argumentation to be a very interesting and effective tool for analysing arguments of political philosophy, political thought, and every field of knowledge related to politics and the public sphere. In other words, we will try to translate main elements of this theory of argumentation into political theory. Three general issues shall be investigated in this work....