A Formalization of the Slippery Slope Argument

Abstract

To bridge the gap between human reasoning and machine reasoning, one of the key problems in argumentation research is how to model natural language arguments by formal argumentation. The slippery slope argument (SSA) is a commonly used type of argument in the context of deliberation, with the intent of persuading people not to take a particular action. In this paper, an argumentation theory for the basic form of SSA is given based on the formal argumentation framework \(ASPIC^+\) and argumentation schemes of SSA. Then, an SSA occurrence in a popular blog post about gene editing is taken as an example. By analyzing the case, this paper tries to model these arguments based on our argumentation theory and evaluates the arguments using abstract argumentation frameworks. The paper then points out that since whether an SSA is persuasive rests on whether its ultimate consequence is really unacceptable to the audience, value judgement should play an important role in the deliberation.