Abstract

The topic of this thesis is the function of argument. The problem derives from the field of argumentation which I describe as being composed of two intellectual traditions. First, the study of argument began over two thousand years ago in classical Greek philosophy and was expressed in the disciplines of logic, rhetoric, and dialectic. Second, contemporary argumentation studies includes this research but also draws upon communication studies, psychology, and sociology. From the field of argumentation, the thesis examines past attempts to describe the function of argument and proposes an alternative account. I stress the philosophical importance of an adequate solution of this problem. An adequate solution should provide a greater understanding of argumentative practice, i.e., its use should contribute to the overall progress of argumentation studies. I discuss three attempts to describe the function of argument. The first is called the "dual function" of argument. Argumentation theorists attempt to describe accepted forms of good argumentative practice and also use those descriptions as normative standards. The second is called the "problem-solving" function. Argument is interpreted as a process in which a problem is solved by the acceptance of a claim which is justified by reasons. Both of these functional accounts are criticised for their inability to account for the complexity of our argumentative behavior. An alternative is proposed which is called the "resolution" function. The resolution function describes argumentative disagreement in four ways: as disagreement over a justification of a claim; as disagreement over presuppositions of a disputant's position; as disagreement over the interpretation of concepts; and as disagreement over a commitment to a position. The resolution analysis is used to describe specific arguments. The thesis claims that the acceptance of the resolution function provides argumentation studies with a much more detailed framework to describe argumentative communication than the other two analyses. After the description and application of the resolution function, the thesis proposes how the analysis can be used in the field of argumentation