Begging what is at issue in the argument

Levi, Don S.

doi:10.1007/bf00711193

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…represents categorical assertion, '+' represents cautious assertion, '/' represents provisoed assertion and '~' indicates the denial of a claim. 'P' and 'Q' represent theses that are advanced by the proponent and opponent in disputation, such that + ~P is a cautious denial of the thesis P. 7 Articles and monographs that argue for the non-fallaciousness of certain forms of circular reasoning and argument include Cummings (2000), Levi (1994), Walton (1985) and Walton (1991). 8 Within Rescher's framework a presumption is a proposition to whose truth we are tentatively committed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Analogical Reasoning as a Tool of Epidemiological Investigation

Cummings

2004

Argumentation

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Few, if any, scientific inquiries are conducted against a background of complete knowledge, a background in which inquirers are in possession of the 'full facts' that relate to a particular question or issue. More often than not, scientists are compelled to conduct their deliberations in contexts of epistemic uncertainty, in which partial knowledge or even a total absence of knowledge characterise inquiry. Nowhere is this epistemic uncertainty more evident, or indeed more successfully controlled, than in the branch of scientific inquiry called epidemiology. In this paper, I examine how epidemiologists overcome the unique challenges to inquiry that are posed by epistemic uncertainty. In specific terms, I contend that epidemiologists employ analogical reasoning strategies in an attempt to advance their inquiries in situations that are epistemically uncertain. The context for my claims will be the early inquiries that were conducted into the emergence of HIV/AIDS in the United States. I argue that early scientific work in relation to HIV/AIDS was directly premised upon epidemiological investigations in which analogical reasoning with hepatitis B had featured significantly. I conclude that epidemiological investigations of AIDS exemplify the capacity of analogical reasoning to advance inquiry under conditions of epistemic uncertainty. To this extent, analogical reasoning should be a concern both to those who address practical problems of uncertainty management and to those who pursue theoretical debates within argumentation studies and epistemology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Analogical Reasoning as a Tool of Epidemiological Investigation

Cummings

2004

Argumentation

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“…Suber (1994) argues that begging the question ought not to be persuasive but that it actually is. The characterization in the main text of begging the question as circular reasoning or argument is opposed by Levi (1994). 2.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reasoning and Public Health: New Ways of Coping with Uncertainty

Cummings¹

2015

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“…To date, this move in the direction of a dialectical approach to the study of fallacie s has been limited in extent. However, the first signs of such a move are beginning to emerge (Levi, 1994).…”

Section: Louise Gummingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mind and Body, Form and Content: How not to do Petitio Principii Analysis

Cummings

2000

Philosophical Papers

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Few the or etical insigh ts h ave em er ged from the extensive literature di scussions of pe titio pr incipii ar gument. In par ticular, th e pattern of petitio analysis has lar gely been on e of movem ent between the two sides of a di chotom y, th at of form and content. In this paper, I trace the basis of thi s d ichot omy to a du alist conce p tion of mind and world . I argue for the rejection of the form/conten t di chotom y on the ground that its dualist presuppositions gellerate a reductioni st an alysis of cer tain concepts which ar e cen tral to th e analysis of petitio argumen t. I contend, for exam ple, th at n o syn tactic relation can assimil at e within its analysis the essentially holistic n ature of a notion like justification. In this regard, I ex pou nd a form of dialectical criticism which has been frequently employed in th e philosop hical arguments of Hilar y Putnam. Here the focus of an alysis is upon th e way in which the propo ne n t of a position pr oceed s to explain 0 1' argue for his/h er own pa r ticula r theses. My conclusion poin ts to th e u se of such dial ectic within fu tu re analyses of petitio pr incipii.In re cent years, Putnam has ' exhibited a philosophical preoccupation with issues of unintelligibility , such as they rel ate to traditional problems in philosophy-reference, knowledge of other minds, etc. That there is a 'problem' of reference to which a 'solu tion' must be found is, according to Putnam , th e manifestati on of a deep m et aphysical impulse within us . T his impulse h as re sulted in unintelligible questions and mistaken inquiries in all th e major disciplines of philosophy, including inquiry into the informal fallacies.Putnaru' s proj ect is not on e of scep ticism, but is inste ad an attempt to recapture a historic al moment in our thinking, one which is prior to the * This pa pe r was written while the auth or was a Visiting Fellow affiliated with the Departme n t of Philosophy at Harvard Un ivers ity. The au thor wishes to ackn owledge her ind ebt edness to Hilary Putnaru , Har vard Un iver sity, for d iscussio n of a number of the issues addressed in this paper. T he au thor is also gra teful to a refer ee of thi s j ournal fo r conuneuts 0 11 an earlie r version of th is pap er.

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Begging what is at issue in the argument

Cited by 5 publications

References 11 publications

Analogical Reasoning as a Tool of Epidemiological Investigation

Analogical Reasoning as a Tool of Epidemiological Investigation

Reasoning and Public Health: New Ways of Coping with Uncertainty

Mind and Body, Form and Content: How not to do Petitio Principii Analysis

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