Media argumentation is a powerful force in our lives. From
political speeches to television commercials to war propaganda, it
can effectively mobilize political action, influence the public,
and market products. This book presents a new and systematic way of
thinking about the influence of mass media in our lives, showing
the intersection of media sources with argumentation theory,
informal logic, computational theory, and theories of persuasion.
Using a variety of case studies that represent arguments that
typically occur in the mass media, Douglas Walton demonstrates how
tools recently developed in argumentation theory can be usefully
applied to the identification, analysis, and evaluation of media
arguments. He draws upon the most recent developments in artificial
intelligence, including dialogical theories of argument, which he
developed, as well as speech act theory. Each chapter presents
solutions to problems central to understanding, analyzing, and
criticizing media argumentation.
目錄:
1. Logic, dialectic and rhetoric
2. The speech act of persuasion
3. Propaganda
4. Appeals to fear and pity
5. Ad hominem arguments in political discourse
6. Arguments based on popular opinion
7. Fallacies and bias in public opinion polling
8. Persuasive definitions and public policy arguments
9. The structure of media argumentation