Argumentation Dec 2019 Open Access

Presumptions, and How They Relate to Arguments from Ignorance

Petar Bodlović University of Groningen

Abstract

AbstractBy explaining the argument from ignorance in terms of thepresumption of innocence, many textbooks in argumentation theory suggest that some arguments from ignorance might share essential features with some types of presumptive reasoning. The stronger version of this view, suggesting that arguments from ignorance and presumptive reasoning are almost indistinguishable, is occasionally proposed by Douglas Walton. This paper explores the nature and limits of the stronger proposal and argues that initial presumptions and arguments from ignorance arenotclosely connected. There are three main reasons. First, the argument from ignorance, unlike typical presumptive reasoning, is a negative kind of inference. Second, the typical initial presumption is sensitive to a broader set of defeaters and thus assumes a higher (negative) standard of acceptability. Third, in dialectical terms, initial presumption and argument from ignorance bring different attacking rights and obligations. I conclude that Waltonian intuition is unsupported or, at best, is limited only to practical presumptions and practical arguments from ignorance.

Journal
Argumentation
Published
2019-12-01
DOI
10.1007/s10503-019-09498-8
CompPile
Open Access
OA PDF Hybrid
Topics
argument
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Bodlović (2021)
    On the Differences Between Practical and Cognitive Presumptions
    Argumentation

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