The elimination of needs--and with it the elimination of the notion of necessary action--would dramatize the freedom of public officials to choose which programs they will offer and would result in a revision of public expectations. (Author)

Using preliminary data from studies of the 1980 debates between the presidential candidates, this paper responds to the argument that presidential debates are not debates at all but rather "joint news conferences." The paper first contends that the encounters of the candidates were "real" debates since they conformed to the…

Noting that in argument theory there are three contemporary perspectives--(1) the constructivist/interactionist approach, (2) the social theory approach, and (3) the philosophical perspective focusing on validity and reasons--this paper explains the weakness of following the first approach in argument and examines some implications of a commitment…

This paper presents a theory of presumption in public debate based upon Paul Watzlawick's principles of communication. The first section of the paper details briefly the nature of presumption in contemporary argumentation theory. The second section hypothesizes a role for presumption in public debate derived principally from Watzlawick's works.…

Predicting the outcome of a primary election gives a candidate more exposure to the press, gives him or her a chance to predict modestly and then look better than the prediction, and helps create interest in the election and thereby increase voter turnout. During the 1976 Presidential primaries, most candidates adhered to the classic rule to make…

Discusses the areas of study with which philosophers should be involved, defines the difference between "is" and "ought" questions, and then states what philosophers "ought" to do in the post-industrial age. (RK)

Analyzes the power of fiction to override fact in politics and in commercial advertising. (DD)

Analyzes Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.'s dissenting position on Vietnam by considering it as representative of the mode of foreign policy argument called "technocratic realism." Argues that such dissent can offer only an incomplete critique of U.S. foreign policy, because it does not question the policy's underlying purposes. (SR)

Argues that rhetorical and argumentation theorists should theorize ideology as a complex rhetorical totality and that the subject of validity and legitimacy must be addressed in order to warrant ideological critique. Offers a model which outlines a rhetorical theory of ideology totality. (MM)

Investigates the private criteria people use in judging whether or not to make particular arguments. Determines the relationship between self-monitoring and the use of editing criteria. Finds that person-centered issues and discourse competence rules are extremely important, and that the self-monitoring scale has serious psychometric problems. (MS)

Asserts that impromptu speaking should be viewed as an event which develops students' organizational ability, creative thinking, audience analysis, and delivery skills. Presents various techniques to aid students and coaches in pre-tournament preparation for impromptu speaking. (MM)

Argues that presumption represents a multidimensional concept, not a monolithic one. Claims that in reaching a decision on a nonpolicy debate, the decision rule "one who asserts must prove" ought to be given primacy over the predispositions of a given audience or of society at large. (JD)

Offers a critique of C. H. Knoblauch and Lil Brannon's "Rhetorical Traditions and the Teaching of Writing" focusing on three language constructions that operate in the book: (1) dichotomy of the mechanical and organic, (2) use of assertions and evidence, and (3) the removal of Plato from any relationship with rhetoric except an…

Identifies five features of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial that may account for its deep universal appeal. Suggests the memorial's effectiveness may recommend it as a model for contemporary anti-war rhetoric. (MS)

Documents the educational benefits of academic debate. (PD)