Analysis of Argument Strategies of Attack and Cooption: Stock Cases, Formalization, and Argument Reconstruction

Abstract

Three common strategies used by informal logicians are considered: (1) the appeal to standard cases, (2) the attempt to partially formalize so-called "informal fallacies," and (3) restatement of arguments in such a way as to make their logical character more perspicuous. All three strategies are found to be useful. Attention is drawn to several advantages of a "stock case" approach, a minimalist approach to formalization is recommended, and doubts are raised about the applicability, from a logical point of view, of a principle of charitable construal in the reconstruction of arguments.

Keywords

• informal fallacy
• stock case
• formalization
• argument reconstruction
• principle of charity
• ad verecundiam