Pt. 1. Objectives of Studying Argumentation Rhetorically --
Ch. 1 Reflections on Making the Case. 1.1 Dialogic and Rhetorical Argument. 1.2 Making the Case in Public Argument. 1.3 Making the Case Through Analysis of Discourse. 1.4 Making the Case Through Case Studies. 1.5 Making the Case Through Historical Inquiry. 1.6 Conclusion. References --
Ch. 2 Argument as Hypothesis-Testing. 2.1 The Hypothesis-Testing Paradigm. 2.2 Implications for Current Forensic Practice. 2.3 The Choice Among Paradigms. References --
Ch. 3 Knowledge Claims in Rhetorical Criticism. 3.1 Introduction. 3.2 Argumentation as a Way of Knowing. 3.3 Rhetorical Criticism as Argumentation. 3.4 Characteristics of Argumentation in Rhetorical Criticism. 3.5 Illustrations. 3.6 The Question of Purpose. References --
Ch. 4 What Does an Argument Culture Look Like? 4.1 Introduction. 4.2 Identifying an Argument Culture. 4.2.1 Importance of the Audience. 4.2.2 Uncertainty. 4.2.3 Conviction Amid Uncertainty. 4.2.4 Justification Rather than Proof. 4.2.5 Cooperative Argumentation. 4.2.6 Risk-Taking. 4.3 Managing Tensions in an Argument Culture. 4.3.1 Contingency and Commitment. 4.3.2 Partisanship and Restraint. 4.3.3 Personal Conviction and Sensitivity to Audience. 4.3.4 Reasonableness and Subjectivity. 4.3.5 Decision and Nonclosure. 4.4 Conclusion. References --
Ch. 5. Reclaiming Rhetoric's Responsibilities. 5.1 Introduction. 5.2 Rhetoric and Public Reason. 5.3 Rhetoric and the Constitution of Community. 5.4 Rhetoric and the Articulation of Vision. 5.5 Rhetorical Agents and Agency. 5.6 Conclusion. References -- Pt. 2. Approaches to Studying Argumentation Rhetorically --
Ch. 6. Product, Process, or Point of View? References --
Ch. 7. Persistent Questions in the Theory of Argument Fields. 7.1 Introduction. 7.2 The Purpose of Fields. 7.3 The Nature of Argument Fields. 7.4 The Development of Fields. 7.5 Conclusion. References --
Ch. 8 Strategic Maneuvering in Political Argumentation. 8.1 Introduction to Political Argumentation. 8.2 Characteristics of Political Argumentation. 8.2.1 Lack of Time Limits. 8.2.2 Lack of Clear Terminus. 8.2.3 Heterogeneous Audience. 8.2.4 Open Access. 8.2.5 Summary. 8.3 Means of Strategic Maneuvering. 8.3.1 Changing the Subject. 8.3.2 Modifying the Relevant Audience. 8.3.3 Appealing to Liberal and Conservative Presumptions. 8.3.4 Reframing the Argument. 8.3.5 Using Condensation Symbols. 8.3.6 Employing the Locus of the Irreparable. 8.3.7 Using Figures and Tropes Argumentatively. 8.4 A Case Study. 8.5 Conclusion. Appendix. Kennedy-Nixon Debate Excerpt. References --
Ch. 9 Taking the Jurisprudential Analogy Seriously. 9.1 Toulmin and the Jurisprudential Analogy. 9.2 Perelman and the Rule of Justice. 9.3 Conclusion. References --
Pt. 3. Patterns of Rhetorical Argumentation --
Ch. 10. Definitions. 10.1 Introduction. 10.2 Case Studies. 10.3 Arguments About, from, and by Definition. 10.4 Argumentative Moves in Definition. 10.4.1 Associations. 10.4.2 Dissociations. 10.4.3 Ambiguities. 10.4.4 Frame-Shifting. 10.5 Conclusion. References --
Ch. 11 Strategic Maneuvering Through Persuasive Definitions: Implications for Dialectic and Rhetoric. 11.1 The Desirability of Bridging Perspectives. 11.2 Strategic Maneuvering, Dialectic, and Rhetoric. 11.3 The Ideal and the Real. 11.4 Persuasive Definitions. 11.5 How Strategic Maneuvering Affects Arguments. 11.6 An Extended Case Study. 11.7 Applying the Case Study. 11.8 Conclusion . References --
Ch. 12 Felicity Conditions for the Circumstantial Ad Hominem: The Case of Bush v. Gore. 12.1 The Circumstantial ad hominem. 12.2 The Case of Bush v. Gore. 12.3 Equal Protection. 12.4 The "Safe Harbor" Doctrine. 12.5 Article II and Federalism. 12.6 Intervention and Judicial Activism. 12.7 Conclusions. References -- Ch. 13 Terrorism and the Argument from Ignorance. 13.1 Introduction. 13.2 The Argument from Ignorance. 13.3 Public Discourse About Terrorism. 13.3.1 Condoleezza Rice. 13.3.2 Colin Powell. 13.4 Conclusion. References -- Ch. 14 Arguing About Values: The Problem of Public Moral Argument. 14.1 The Tension Between Democracy and Morality. 14.2 How We Argue About Values. 14.2.1 Levels of Argument. 14.2.2 Strategies of Argument. 14.2.3 Tactics of Argument. 14.3 The Inconclusiveness of Moral Argument. References -- Ch. 15 The Appeal for Transcendence: A Possible Response to Cases of Deep Disagreement. 15.1 The Emphasis on Agreement. 15.2 Deep Disagreement. 15.3 Incommensurability: End or Beginning of Analysis? 15.4 Possibilities for Overcoming Deep Disagreement. 15.4.1 Inconsistency: Hypocrisy and the Circumstantial Ad Hominem. 15.4.2 Packaging: Incorporation and Subsumption. 15.4.3 Time: Exhaustion and Urgency. 15.4.4 Changing the Ground: Interfield Borrowing and Frame-Shifting. 15.5 Two Case Studies. 15.5.1 Johnson on Education. 15.5.2 Zarefsky on Abortion. 15.6 Conclusion References -- Part 5 Analyses of Rhetorical Argumentation -- Ch. 16 Conspiracy Arguments in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates. 16.1 Introduction. 16.2 The Debates in Context. 16.3 The Conspiracy Arguments. 16.3.1 The Plot to Abolitionize the Whigs. 16.3.2 The Plot to Discredit Lincoln. 16.3.3 The Plot to Make Slavery National. 16.3.4 The Plot to Exploit Federal Patronage. 16.3.5 The Plot to Deny Kansas a Referendum. 16.4 Inferences and Implications. 16.4.1 Legitimation of the Conspiracy Argument. 16.4.2 Dynamics of the Conspiracy Argument. 16.5 Conclusion. References -- Ch. 17 Turning Points in the Galesburg Debate. 17.1 Introduction. 17.2 The Road to Galesburg. 17.3 Four Key Turning Points. 17.3.1 The Hypothetical "Dred Scott" II. 17.3.2 The Moral Argument. 17.3.3 The 1854 Republican Platform. 17.3.4 Refutation Strategies. 17.3.5 Summary. 17.4 Douglas’¢Î—ÎÈs Failure. 17.5 Conclusion. References --
Ch. 18 Presidential Rhetoric and the Power of Definition. 18.1 Introduction. 18.2 Understanding Rhetoric and Its Effects. 18.3 Presidential Definition. 18.4 Eight Case Studies. 18.4.1 Washington and the Whisky Rebellion. 18.4.2 Jackson and the Election as Mandate. 18.4.3 Lincoln and Civil War Aims. 18.4.4 Franklin Roosevelt and the Nature of Liberalism. 18.4.5 Lyndon Johnson and War on Poverty. 18.4.6 Lyndon Johnson and Affirmative Action. 18.4.7 Reagan and the Safety Net. 18.4.8 George W. Bush and the War on Terror. 18.4.9 Summary. 18.5 How Do We Know? References --
Ch. 19. The Impasse of the Liberal Argument: Speculation on American Politics in the Late 1960s. 19.1 Introduction. 19.2 The Liberal Argument. 19.3 Liberal Arguments Become Ad Hominem. 19.3.1 Civil Rights. 19.3.2 The Welfare State. 19.3.3 Foreign Policy. 19.4 The Resulting Impasse. 19.5 Breaking the Deadlock? 19.6 Coda, 2013. References --
Ch. 20 Pragma-Dialectical Analysis of Rhetorical Texts: The Case of Barack Obama in Cairo with Dima Mohammed. 20.1 The Analytical Problem. 20.2 The Case Study: Obama in Cairo, June 2009. 20.3 Analysis. 20.3.1 Audiences and Their Commitments. 20.3.2 Reconstructing the Discourse: Standpoint Analysis. 20.3.3 Strategic Maneuvering. 20.4 Conclusion. References.

This book contains 20 essays tracing the work of David Zarefsky, a leading North American scholar of argumentation from a rhetorical perspective. The essays cohere around 4 general themes: objectives for studying argumentation rhetorically, approaches to rhetorical study of argumentation, patterns and schemes of rhetorical argumentation, and case studies illustrating the potential of studying argumentation rhetorically. These articles are drawn from across Zarefsky's 45-year career. Many of these articles originally appeared in publications that are difficult to access today, and this collection brings the reader up to date on the topic.
Zarefsky's scholarship focuses on the role of language in political argumentation, the ways in which argumentation creates public knowledge and belief, the influence of framing and context on what is said and understood, the deployment of particular patterns and schemes of argumentation in public reasoning, and the influence of debate on politics and governance. All these topics are addressed in this book.
Each of the conceptual essays includes brief application to specific cases, and five extended case studies are also presented in this volume. The case studies cover different themes: two explore famous political debates, the third focuses on presidential rhetoric across the course of United States history, the fourth on the arguments for liberalism at a time of political polarization, and the fifth on the contemporary effort to engage the United States with the Muslim world.
This book is of interest to scholars in the fields of philosophy, logic, law, philosophy of law, and legal history. The range of topics and concepts addressed, the interplay of concepts and cases and the unifying perspective of rhetorical argumentation make this book a valuable read for students of argumentative practice, whether rhetorically or otherwise.