Stephen ToulminBorn in England in 1922, Stephen Toulmin is known primarily as a philosopher of science. His work, including, for instance, The Uses of Argument, has also influenced contemporary rhetoricians. In particular, Toulmin developed a six-part model describing the elements of an argument (claim, grounds, warrant, backing, modal qualifier, rebuttal). This theoretical model, usefully outlined by Nathan Meredith of the Georgia Institute of Technology, has proven a valuable, resilient tool for analyzing existing arguments, but is less practical as a guide for constructing arguments in the first place, especially ones like advertisements that depend on graphic appeal. Many writing instructors accordingly agree with Faigley and Selzer that composition students often find this cumbersome apparatus "more confusing than helpful" (p. xiii).Patrick Clauss has developed a short, useful introduction to Stephen Toulmin and his ideas. |