The themes of the essays in Argumentation Theory and the Rhetoric of Assent all coalesce around the general question: "When, if ever, is assent justified?" The question immediate triggers complex and multifaceted considerations of argument and, ultimately, power. In parsing out the nature of assent, the essays take divers approaches: aesthetic and symbolist, rationalistic and formalistic, field theory, various conceptualizations of a public sphere, etc. Together, they offer an insightful exploration of an exciting new terrain argumentation studies.
PrefaceWilliamsDavid CratisHazenMichael DavidIntroduction: Argumentation Theory as Critical PracticeCoxJ. RobertRationality and AssentThe Centrality of Justification: Principles of Warranted AssertabilityMcKerrowRaymie E.Realism and the Rhetoric of AssentCroasmunEarlForm and Function in Assent: Descriptive ApproachesAn Exploration of Form and Force in Rhetoric and ArgumentationJasinskiJamesThe Implied ArguerLakeRandall A.Metaphor and Presence in ArgumentKauffmanCharlesParsonDonn W.Arguments in FictionWeilerMichaelForm and Function in Assent: Field StudiesPurpose, Argument Evaluation, and the Crisis in the Public SphereRowlandRobert C.The Problem of the Public Sphere: Three DiagnosesWillardCharles ArthurThe Turn to Critical AdvocacyCultures of Discourse: Marxism and Rhetorical TheoryAuneJames ArntThe Rhetorical Tradition, Modern Communication, and the Grounds of Justified AssentGoodnightG. ThomasReferencesContributorsIndex
David Cratis Williams is Assistant Professor of Speech Communication at the University of Missouri, Rolla. Michael David Hazen is Professor of Speech Communication at Wake Forest University.