Philosophical Reflections on Argument Strength and Gradual Acceptability

Abstract

This paper proposes a classification of three aspects of argument strength based on philosophical insights, in particular Aristotle’s distinction between logic, dialectic and rhetoric. It is then argued that when developing or evaluating gradual accounts of argument strength it is essential to be explicit about which aspect of argument strength is modelled and about the adopted interpretation of the arguments and their relations in abstract or bipolar argumentation frameworks. The underlying aim is to encourage a principled development and evaluation of (principles for) gradual argumentation semantics.