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Stephen Toulmin

  • The Uses of Argument (1958)

    The Uses of Argument (1958)
    This is the book in which Toulmin presented the philosophy for which he is most famous. The "Toulmin Method" is an interpretation of how effective arguments are structured, by which he means how to make a good argument for something. The essential elements of this method are 1)to start with a claim for their argument; 2)lay out grounds that support this claim; and 3)present a "warrant", which means a statement or assertion that establishes the necessary link between the claim and the grounds.
  • Human Understanding (1972)

    Human Understanding (1972)
    The central themes of this book is relating specifics to generals (individuals to groups, specific aspects of broader concepts), and the extent to which diversions from elements of "disciplines" or "paradigms" are relativistic and irrational, or just rational and logical exceptions to precedents.
  • Cosmopolis (1990)

    Cosmopolis (1990)
    This book was less about advocating a specific philosophy or theory and more about tracing philosophical thought about science and the natural world throughout history.
  • The Toulmin Method

    The Toulmin Method
  • References

    Stephen Edelston Toulmin. The Uses of Argument. Cambridge England, Cambridge University Press, Reprint, 1958. Toulmin, Stephen. Human Understanding. Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press, 1972. Stephen Edelston Toulmin, and Pietro Adamo. Cosmopolis. Milano, Rizzoli, 1991.