Practical Argumentation

The text teaches principles and practice of presenting and evaluating arguments as a branch of rhetoric, combining rhetorical technique and logical reasoning to achieve conviction and persuasion. It explains how to construct introductions and discussions—distinguishing persuasion, conviction, and brief-drawing—offers methods of refutation, and provides practical suggestions for conducting debates and composing conclusions. Emphasis falls on contemporary, nonlegal examples and classroom-tested rules intended to make argumentation useful rather than purely academic. An appendix supplies a sample written argument and a list of propositions to aid practice.