Doug Walton
Encyclopedia
Douglas Neil Walton is a Canadian
academic and author, well known for his many widely published books and papers on argumentation, logical fallacies and informal logic
. Walton teaches logic, published numerous books, and has written many papers. He holds the Assumption Chair in Argumentation Studies and Distinguished Research Fellow of the Centre for Research in Reasoning, Argumentation and Rhetoric at the University of Windsor
, Canada.
He gained his BA
at University of Waterloo
, Ontario
(1964) and his PhD
at University of Toronto
(1972). He taught for many years at the University of Winnipeg
, in Manitoba.
Walton's work has been used to better prepare legal arguments and to help develop artificial intelligence
. His books have been translated worldwide and he attracts students from many countries to study with him. A festschrift
honoring his work was published in 2010.
Most of Walton's books are about logical fallacies, some of them co-authored with John Woods
. According to Frans H. van Eemeren, who calls this body of work the Woods-Walton approach, this is "the most continuous and extensive post-Hamblin
contribution to the study of fallacies".
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
academic and author, well known for his many widely published books and papers on argumentation, logical fallacies and informal logic
Informal logic
Informal logic, intuitively, refers to the principles of logic and logical thought outside of a formal setting. However, perhaps because of the informal in the title, the precise definition of informal logic is matters of some dispute. Ralph H. Johnson and J...
. Walton teaches logic, published numerous books, and has written many papers. He holds the Assumption Chair in Argumentation Studies and Distinguished Research Fellow of the Centre for Research in Reasoning, Argumentation and Rhetoric at the University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
, Canada.
He gained his BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
at University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
(1964) and his PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
at University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
(1972). He taught for many years at the University of Winnipeg
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg is a public university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and theology as well as graduate programs. The U of W's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged...
, in Manitoba.
Walton's work has been used to better prepare legal arguments and to help develop artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
. His books have been translated worldwide and he attracts students from many countries to study with him. A festschrift
Festschrift
In academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
honoring his work was published in 2010.
Most of Walton's books are about logical fallacies, some of them co-authored with John Woods
John Woods (logician)
John Hayden Woods is a Canadian logician and philosopher, currently Director of the Abductive Systems Group at the University of British Columbia and The UBC Honorary Professor of Logic. He has also been affiliated with the Group on Logic, Information and Computation, of the Department of...
. According to Frans H. van Eemeren, who calls this body of work the Woods-Walton approach, this is "the most continuous and extensive post-Hamblin
Charles Leonard Hamblin
Charles Leonard Hamblin was an Australian philosopher, logician, and computer pioneer, as well as a professor of philosophy at the Technical University of New South Wales in Sydney....
contribution to the study of fallacies".
Books
The list of titles, from most recent to oldest are:- Argumentation Schemes
- Informal Logic: A Pragmatic Approach
- Witness TestimonyTestimonyIn law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...
EvidenceEvidenceEvidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
: Argumentation, Artificial Intelligence and Law - Dialog Theory for Critical Argumentation
- Media Argumentation: Dialectic, PersuasionPersuasionPersuasion is a form of social influence. It is the process of guiding or bringing oneself or another toward the adoption of an idea, attitude, or action by rational and symbolic means.- Methods :...
and RhetoricRhetoricRhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western... - Character Evidence: An AbductiveAbductive reasoningAbduction is a kind of logical inference described by Charles Sanders Peirce as "guessing". The term refers to the process of arriving at an explanatory hypothesis. Peirce said that to abduce a hypothetical explanation a from an observed surprising circumstance b is to surmise that a may be true...
Theory - Fundamentals of Critical Argumentation
- Argumentation Methods for Artificial Intelligence in Law
- Abductive ReasoningAbductive reasoningAbduction is a kind of logical inference described by Charles Sanders Peirce as "guessing". The term refers to the process of arriving at an explanatory hypothesis. Peirce said that to abduce a hypothetical explanation a from an observed surprising circumstance b is to surmise that a may be true...
- RelevanceRelevance-Introduction:The concept of relevance is studied in many different fields, including cognitive sciences, logic and library and information science. Most fundamentally, however, it is studied in epistemology...
in Argumentation - Ethical Argumentation
- Legal Argumentation and Evidence
- Scare TacticsScare TacticsScare Tactics is a hidden camera/comedy television show, produced by Hallock Healey Entertainment. Its first two seasons aired from April 2003 to December 2004. After a hiatus, the show returned for a third season, beginning July 9, 2008. The first season of the show was hosted by Shannen Doherty....
: Arguments that Appeal to Fear and Threats - Appeal to Popular Opinion
- One-Sided Arguments: A Dialectical Analysis of Bias
- Appeal to Pity: Argumentum ad Misericordiam
- Historical Foundations of Informal Logic
- Argument Structure: A Pragmatic Theory
- Argumentation Schemes for Presumptive Reasoning
- Arguments from Ignorance
- Fallacies Arising from AmbiguityAmbiguityAmbiguity of words or phrases is the ability to express more than one interpretation. It is distinct from vagueness, which is a statement about the lack of precision contained or available in the information.Context may play a role in resolving ambiguity...
- Commitment in DialogueDialogueDialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
: Basic Concepts of Interpersonal Reasoning - A Pragmatic Theory of Fallacy
- The Place of Emotion in Argument
- Plausible Argument in Everyday Conversation
- Slippery SlopeSlippery SlopeThis article is about the 2006 film. For the novel, see The Slippery Slope.Slippery Slope is a 2006 independent film starring Tony Award-winning actor Dan Fogler....
Arguments - Begging the Question: Circular Reasoning as a Tactic of Argumentation
- Practical Reasoning: Goal-Driven, Knowledge-Based, Action-Guiding Argumentation
- Informal Logic: A Handbook for Critical Argumentation
- Question-Reply Argumentation
- Informal Fallacies
- Courage: A Philosophical Investigation
- Arguer's Position: A Pragmatic Study of Ad HominemAd hominemAn ad hominem , short for argumentum ad hominem, is an attempt to negate the truth of a claim by pointing out a negative characteristic or belief of the person supporting it...
Attack - Criticism, Refutation, and Fallacy
- Physician-Patient Decision-Making
- Logical Dialogue-Games and Fallacies
- Ethics of Withdrawal of Life Support Systems
- Topical RelevanceRelevance-Introduction:The concept of relevance is studied in many different fields, including cognitive sciences, logic and library and information science. Most fundamentally, however, it is studied in epistemology...
in Argumentation, and Brain DeathBrain deathBrain death is the irreversible end of all brain activity due to total necrosis of the cerebral neurons following loss of brain oxygenation. It should not be confused with a persistent vegetative state...
: Ethical Considerations.