-
Period: to
The Life of Stephen Toulmin
Stephen Toulmin was born 25 March 1922 in London, England. Toulmin received an undergraduate degree in mathematics and physics and a doctorate in moral sciences. Throughout his life, Toulmin worked with the Ministry of Aircraft Production, at the Malvern Radar Research Center, and at the Allied Headquarters in Germany (Grimes, 2009). Toulmin focused on ethics, moral reasoning, and arguments (Coghlan and Brydon-Miller, 2014). On 04 December 2009, Toulmin died in Los Angeles, California. -
"The Uses of Argument"
Stephen Toulmin published "The Uses of Argument" in 1958 and an updated edition in 2003. In this book, Toulmin explores how to analyze arguments and identify phases or patterns of arguments (7). -
The Toulmin Model of Arguments
In "The Uses of Argument", Stephen Toulmin describes what is now known as The Toulmin Model of Arguments. The Toulmin Model of Arguments is "a tool for analyzing and crafting arguments," (6). According to Toulmin, strong arguments are broken down into six stages: claim, grounds/evidence, warrant, qualifier, rebuttal, and backing (7). Padilla further explains each of the six components Touliman Method (6). -
Period: to
Impact of "The Uses of Argument" and the Toulmin Model of Arguments
Initial reviews of "The Uses of Arguments" and Model of Argument were negative (4). Many critics felt that Toulmin's Model of Arguments challenged "the static monological Aristotelian categorial syllogism," (4). Moreover, Hitchcock claimed that "to this day I know of no textbook in logic or critical thinking... that uses his model," (4). Over the years, Toulmin's Model of Argument was successfully applied to mathematical proofs, computer software, artificial intelligence, and law (5). -
Period: to
Toulmin's Influence
Stephen Toulmin is recognized as one of the most influential 20th Century philosophers of science (5). Toulmin is known for how he "strongly influenced the graphical representation of argument," (5). According the Hitchcock, "North American informal logic movement and the theory of argumentation can be seen as exemplifying" Toulmin's ideology and analyses of arguments (4).