Types Of Arguments Research Articles

Genes drive organisms and slippery slopes

ABSTRACT The bioethical debate about using gene drives to alter or eradicate wild populations has focused mostly on issues concerning short-term risk assessment and management, governance and oversight, and public and community engagement, but has not examined big-picture— ‘where is this going?’—questions in great depth. In other areas of bioethical controversy, big-picture questions often enter the public forum via slippery slope arguments. Given the incredible potential of gene drive organisms to alter the Earth’s biota, it is somewhat surprising that slippery slope arguments have not played a more prominent role in ethical and policy debates about these emerging technologies. In this article, we examine a type of slippery slope argument against using gene drives to alter or suppress wild pest populations and consider whether it has a role to play in ethical and policy debates. Although we conclude that this argument does not provide compelling reasons for banning the use of gene drives in wild pest populations, we believe that it still has value as a morally instructive cautionary narrative that can motivate scientists, ethicists, and members of the public to think more clearly about appropriate vs. inappropriate uses of gene drive technologies, the long-term and cumulative and emergent risks of using gene drives in wild populations, and steps that can be taken to manage these risks, such as protecting wilderness areas where people can enjoy life forms that have not been genetically engineered.

Does a walk-through video help the parser down the garden-path? A visually enhanced self-paced reading study in Dutch.

The human language processing mechanism assigns a structure to the incoming materials as they unfold. There is evidence that the parser prefers some attachment types over others; however, theories of sentence processing are still in dispute over the stage at which each source of information contributes to the parsing system. The present study aims to identify the nature of initial parsing decisions during sentence processing through manipulating attachment type and verbs' argument structure. To this end, we designed a self-paced reading task using globally ambiguous constructions in Dutch. The structures included double locative prepositional phrases (PPs) where the first PP could attach both to the verb (high attachment) and the noun preceding it (low attachment). To disambiguate the structures, we presented a visual context in the form of short animation clips prior to each reading task. Furthermore, we manipulated the argument structure of the sentences using 2- and 3-argument verbs. The results showed that parsing decisions were influenced by contextual cues depending on the argument structure of the verb. That is, the visual context overcame the preference for high attachment only in the case of 2-argument verbs, while this preference persisted in structures including 3-argument verbs as represented by longer reading times for the low attachment interpretations. These findings can be taken as evidence that our language processing system actively integrates information from linguistic and non-linguistic sources from the initial stages of analysis to build up meaning. We discuss our findings in light of serial and parallel models of sentence processing.

How to identify an argument type? On the hermeneutics of persuasive discourse

This paper proposes a theory of interpreting argument types as an integral part of a systematic and comprehensive ‘hermeneutics of persuasive discourse’. It first explains how such a hermeneutics can be developed based on pragmatic insights about the use of language for persuasive purposes expressed in the philosophy of argument. Then, after having provided an overview of the main hermeneutical stages involved in interpreting persuasive discourse, the paper focuses on the stage of argument type identification. It formulates a ‘hermeneutics of argument type’ in terms of the Periodic Table of Arguments (PTA), an argument categorization framework systematizing existing accounts of arguments in the broad sense of the term (topoi, loci, argument schemes, fallacies, means of persuasion). For each of the three parameters within this framework, ‘argument form’, ‘argument substance’, and ‘argument lever’, the paper describes how to determine their value by analyzing several examples of natural arguments.

The role of private and institutional support to favor work-family integration in pre-service and in-service teachers: Self-related vs. context-related arguments

Research related to the integration of the demands of work and family highlights the difficulties teachers experience in handling their careers and private lives. The goal of this study is to examine the arguments they use to explain what might make work-family integration easier for them. A questionnaire has been administered to 728 teachers in Israel and Switzerland, two countries dealing with teachers’ work-family relations. Through a qualitative analysis of the types of arguments advanced by teachers, the reconstruction of their reasoning (for the topical and endoxical components) has been performed. Results reveal that the support of family and institution are advanced as critical aspects in both countries. Implications in shaping teachers’ attitudes towards work-family integration are discussed.

Characterizing Reflective Diary Writing as an Argumentative Activity Type

This paper is focused on the practice of unsolicited, reflective diary writing as an act of externalizing internal dialogue. I suggest that it should be analyzed as an argumentative practice from the point of view of pragma-dialectics. In the first part of the paper, I demonstrate that internal communication can be examined from the perspective of pragma-dialectics because it is in line with its meta-theoretical principles (especially socialization and externalization). In the second part, I suggest that reflective diary writing should be conceived of as an argumentative activity type. I show that this practice is a conventionalized activity type that is preconditioned by implicit norms governing the conduct of argumentation.

Soft power and the media management of energy transition: Analysis of the media narrative about the construction of nuclear power plants in Poland

The aim of this article is to describe the potential of soft power as a tool for shaping energy policy and creating social approval for activities that are not subject to a real, open and independent public debate. The article analyses media coverage about nuclear energy in Poland. The analysis is based on empirical material which appeared in selected media from 2015 to 2021 and includes nearly 5,000 media messages. A quantitative analysis of the market value of the produced media coverage about nuclear energy has been performed. The main types of narratives and arguments used to support nuclear energy have been reconstructed. The author emphasises the possibility of using the concept of soft power in the analysis of media coverages, expert statements, political messages and advertising campaigns created in the context of promoting certain technology models and certain energy policy schemes. The soft power analysis is very appropriate in the context of disputes over the desired model of energy policy and shaping public mood in the face of the energy crisis. It makes it possible to expose the agents of the dominant message, the type of arguments used by them, and also to study in what direction energy policy is developed, what social atmosphere is being built towards the energy models promoted by the state, and what social attitudes are shaped towards them under the influence of soft power mechanisms.

Legal Arguments and Case Law Precedents: An Experiment in Judicial-Sociological Experiment Between Practice and Theory

The object of this paper is to analyze some main types of judicial arguments based on precedents to grasp their relevance and range in practice. The analysis is drawn from the case law of the Italian Court of Cassation Civil United Sections, to elicit a comparison between the uses of precedents in different legal systems. However, the analysis is of an explanatory or critical-reconstructive nature and illustrates a series of uses and problems linked to judicial reasoning, the scope of which is general and therefore goes beyond the specific juridical context at hand. The analysis is conducted from an internal point of view and, particularly from the standpoint of the decision-maker (i.e., the judge) and addresses some vexatae quaestiones surrounding the idea that case law is the source of law in practice. This study the opinion that the argument surrounding precedent is, in fact, a very heterogeneous and much more extensive family of arguments than what is usually assumed from traditional taxonomies of judicial arguments. Moreover, the study defends the opinion that case law is inevitably a 'source of law' for pragmatic reasons inherent to judicial reasoning.

The Creator/Creature Distinction in Debates over Models of God

In contemporary theology, one can find an array of models of God to choose from. There are various types of arguments that one can put forth in order to reject one model, or to defend another model. In this paper, I wish to examine one popular type of argument. This argument typically says that one should reject a model of God that blurs the creator/creature distinction. The problem with this kind of argument is that it usually begs the question by presupposing one’s own model of God in the creator/creature distinction. In other words, the argument basically boils down to, ‘I reject your model of God because it is not my preferred model of God.’ On many other occasions, the arguments beg the question by confusing additional metaphysical doctrines with the concepts of creator and creature. In this paper, I shall examine several different versions of the creator/creature distinction argument in an effort to find a version that is not question begging. I shall begin with articulating what I take to be the basics of a Christian understanding of the creator/creature distinction. Then, I shall consider several recent attempts from classical theists to argue that a rival model of God violates the creator/creature distinction. In each case, I shall find the arguments wanting. First, I shall examine James E. Dolezal’s attempt to argue that non-classical models of God violate the creator/creature distinction. I will argue that Dolezal’s attempt is question begging because it sneaks in his own model of God and several questionable metaphysical assumptions into the concepts of creator and creature, and thus goes beyond the basic creator/creature distinction without justification. Second, I shall examine a recent attempt by Kevin J. Vanhoozer to argue that Thomas J. Oord’s panentheistic model of God violates the creator/creature distinction. I will argue that Vanhoozer’s attempt suffers from several conceptual errors.

Critique of autonomy-based arguments against legalising assisted dying.

The aim of this article is to present and critically investigate a type of argument against legalising assisted dying on request (ADR) for patients who are terminally ill and experiencing suffering. This type of argument has several variants. These-which we call 'autonomy-based arguments' against legalising ADR-invoke different specifications of the premise that we ought not to respect requests for assistance in dying made by terminally ill and suffering patients because the basic conditions of autonomy cannot be met in scenarios where such requests are made. Specifically, it is argued either (1) that as a result of pain, anxiety or desperation, terminally ill patients are not competent decision makersor (2) that legalisation of ADR would lead to social pressure or in other ways change the patient's context of choice in ways that make such requests nonautonomous. We argue that these types of arguments are problematic in light both of empirical studies and the fact that we usually judge that it is morally right to respect the wishes and decisions of dying people even if they suffer.

PENERAPAN ASAS KEPENTINGAN TERBAIK ANAK: TELAAH IJTIHAD HAKIM PENGADILAN AGAMA DALAM PUTUSAN HAK ASUH ANAK

The study of child protection in Islam remains an interesting topic in several family law studies. This is because there are several views of scholars and judges related to children's rights such as child custody, inheritance, protection of orphans out of wedlock and so on. This paper discusses the judge's ijtihad in determining child custody in religious court decisions to fulfill children's rights. This paper will focus on analyzing of five court decisions and the judge's legal arguments. This study uses a juridical-normative approach by focusing on the enforcement of provisions related to children's rights and the principle of the best interests of children on the judge's legal attitudes and arguments. The author finds at least two types of arguments used by judges in cases related to lineage and children's rights: legal reasons based on legal-maslahah and maslaḥah sosial based.

Argument From Position to Know: The Problem of Identification and Evaluation

The article shows how, by changing the formulations of habitual premises and critical questions for pre­sumptive argumentation schemes, one can evaluate an argument even before its type has become known. The argument from position to know is used to justify the possibility of detecting types of classical pre­sumptive schemes when we take into account the type of speech act used to implement them, and the speaker and listener’s awareness of each other’s propositional attitudes. The types of argument from posi­tion to know are distinguished with respect to their epistemic and illocutionary variety. Following Austin one of these types can be considered a performative argument from position to know. The article describes the principles of its usage and outlines the evaluation procedure.

Moral judgements in a foreign language: Expressing emotions and justifying decisions

Aim: Previous evidence suggests that language influences bilinguals’ moral judgements. One explanation for this phenomenon is that using a second language (L2) attenuates emotional arousal, thus leading to more rational decisions. This study examined whether bilinguals’ moral arguments and emotional vocabulary are influenced by the language – first language (L1) or L2 – in which a moral dilemma is presented. Methodology and data analysis: A mixed-methods design was employed. We analysed the emotional vocabulary used by 204 Spanish-English bilinguals when making moral judgements and expressing their emotions in response to a highly emotional moral dilemma, as well as the type of arguments they employed to justify their moral decisions in L1 and L2. Findings: The participants were more emotional in their L1, as reflected in the arguments they used to justify their decisions. This finding was supported by a significantly lower number of emotional words in their L2. Moreover, the effect of language on moral judgements was mediated by the participants’ emotions. Originality: This study is the first to qualitatively examine the types of arguments underlying bilinguals’ moral decision-making in their L1 and in their L2. Moreover, the analysis of verbal emotional expressions in relation to moral decisions adds to the findings of previous research that was based almost exclusively on forced-choice measures and further supports the hypothesis that the reduction of emotional arousal in an L2 modulates individuals’ moral judgements. Implications: The results have implications for L2 teaching and pedagogy. The L2 curriculum should include instruction in emotional vocabulary and should engage learners in discussions that require argumentation and critical thinking about strong emotional content. This may assist bilinguals not only to express their internal affective states more efficiently, but also to experience the intensity of L2 emotionally charged words in a similar way as they do in their L1.

Decay estimates of solutions to nonlinear elastic wave equations with viscoelastic terms in the framework of Lp-Sobolev spaces

The Cauchy problem for nonlinear elastic wave equations with viscoelastic damping terms is investigated in the Lp framework. Sharp estimates of the global solutions in t for the higher order derivatives are established. The proof is based on the Gronwall type argument for 1<p<∞, the use of the difference of the propagation speed of the fundamental solutions for p=1 and the bootstrap argument for p=∞, combined with the sharp estimates for the linearized solutions.

Three forms of internal negotiation through the activity of private diary-writing

Abstract This paper is focused on the practice of private diary-writing as an act of externalizing internal communication from the point of view of the theory of argumentation. It is demonstrated that through diary-writing, various forms of internal negotiation can be implemented. The paper sheds light on three ways internal negotiation is externalized through diary writing: reflective diary writing, crisis diary writing and self-encouraging diary writing. It is shown that these communicative practices occur with respect to specific exigencies of a diarist, and with respect to these specific exigencies, they differ in the type of argumentation that can be submitted in the writings. For the argumentative characterization of these practices, the concept of the communicative activity type introduced within a pragma-dialectical approach to argumentation is used. It is shown that distinguished diary-writing practices are differently conventionalized activity types that are preconditioned by implicit norms governing the conduct of argumentation.

Normalized solutions to p-Laplacian equations with combined nonlinearities* *Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (12031015, 11771428, 12026217, 11871302).

In this paper, we study the p-Laplacian equation with a L p -norm constraint: where N ⩾ 2, a > 0, , , and is a Lagrange multiplier, which appears due to the mass constraint ‖u‖ p = a. We assume that g is odd and L p -supercritical. When and μ > 0, we use Schwarz rearrangement and Ekeland variational principle to prove the existence of positive radial ground states for suitable μ. When and μ > 0 or and μ ⩽ 0, with an additional condition of g, we obtain a positive radial ground state if μ lies in a suitable range, by the Schwarz rearrangement and minimax theorems. Via a fountain theorem type argument, with suitable , we obtain infinitely many radial solutions for any N ⩾ 2 and establish the existence of infinitely many nonradial sign-changing solutions for N = 4 or N ⩾ 6. In any case mentioned above, the range of μ depends on the value of a: |μ| can be large if a > 0 is small.

The Phoenix and the Interlingual Dimensions of Early English Literary Culture

The Phoenix and the Interlingual Dimensions of Early English Literary Culture

Authority Argument Schemes, Types, and Critical Questions

Authority Argument Schemes, Types, and Critical Questions

Interactions entre règles sociales de santé publique : étude des liens entre le port du masque et les règles routières en temps de crise sanitaire

IntroductionThe health crisis that France has experienced since the beginning of 2020 has justified the introduction of new health rules requiring changes in behaviour. The context of the implementation of these health rules, instituted very recently and for a limited period of time, raises the question of their perception and respect among the population. ObjectiveMobilising the social developmental psychology, the objective of this article is to explore inter-individual differences in the perception of these health rules measured through the wearing of masks. It aims also at studying the links between these perceptions with the experience of the health context and the perception of other legal public health rules, apprehended through some road safety rules. MethodThe questionnaire survey, carried out during the second confinement with a representative sample of 4999 people, made it possible to measure the experience of the health context, the internalisation of the rules and their justifications, the usefulness of the rules and the perception of the legal system. ResultsThe results show the links between internalisation, the type of arguments used to justify it for wearing a mask and for road rules respectively, as well as the links between internalisation and the perception of the legal system. They also show that women use moral and prudential arguments more to justify their internalisation of rules and that they have internalised the traffic rules (but not the wearing of masks) more than men. ConclusionThese results show that the perception of the rule of wearing a mask is more related to the general perception that individuals have of the legal system and other legal public health rules involving the relationship with others than to the context in which these rules were put in place.

What is an insolvency proceeding? Gategroup lands in a gated community

AbstractMany English (and other) restructuring lawyers consider that the scheme of arrangement cannot properly be characterized as an insolvency proceeding for the purposes of certain international instruments for (amongst other things) the allocation of jurisdiction and/or the recognition of proceedings, judgments, and/or orders. This article shows that this view is mistaken. The article examines insolvency as a scalar attribute and a vague concept. It draws out the implications of treating insolvency law functionally as that part of law which responds to the circumstances peculiar to a debtor's insolvency. It considers the nature of insolvency, “pre‐insolvency”, “preventive'”, restructuring, liquidation, and “pre‐pack” proceedings. It shows that proceedings operating under insolvency law in relation to insolvent debtors often operate in identical or materially similar ways in relation to solvent debtors. This is as true of winding‐up, administration, and company voluntary arrangement proceedings under English law as of the scheme of arrangement. This has important implications for the characterization of a proceeding as an insolvency proceeding for relevant purposes. The article outlines the development of the concordat in several civil law jurisdictions, starting with its roots in Justinian's Digest. It traces the development of the composition in England, starting with its status as a voluntary process incapable of binding dissentients, taking in the “protections” granted by the Privy Council and the “bills of conformity” issued by the Court of Chancery, and then considering statutory compositions. It shows how the statutory composition travelled from natural person insolvency law to corporate insolvency law. The artic draws on this analysis and the official reports on key European instruments allocating international jurisdiction in insolvency and “civil and commercial” matters to characterise the scheme of arrangement. The article also assesses the most detailed critique yet of the gategroup judgment of the High Court of England and Wales, which characterized the restructuring plan proceeding as an insolvency proceeding for certain jurisdictional purposes. The critique of this judgment usefully exposes to the sunlight of public scrutiny — at length and independently of the exigencies of any particular litigation — the types of arguments which have been used to resist the conclusion that the scheme is (quite plainly) a judicial composition which constitutes an insolvency proceeding for relevant purposes when deployed in relation to insolvent companies. The article shows that these arguments are unpersuasive.

On the Fundamental Limits of Device-to-Device Private Caching Under Uncoded Cache Placement and User Collusion

In the coded caching problem, as originally formulated by Maddah-Ali and Niesen, a server communicates via a noiseless shared broadcast link to multiple users that have local storage capability. In order for a user to decode its demanded file from the coded multicast transmission, the demands of all the users must be globally known, which may violate the privacy of the users. To overcome this privacy problem, Wan and Caire recently proposed several schemes that attain coded multicasting gain while simultaneously guarantee information theoretic privacy of the users’ demands. In Device-to-Device (D2D) networks, the demand privacy problem is further exacerbated by the fact that each user is also a transmitter, which appears to be needing the knowledge of the files demanded by the remaining users in order to form its coded multicast transmission. This paper shows how to solve this seemingly infeasible problem. The main contribution of this paper is the development of new achievable and converse bounds for D2D coded caching that are to within a constant factor of one another when privacy of the users’ demands must be guaranteed even in the presence of colluding users (i.e., when some users share cached contents and demanded file indices). First, a D2D private caching scheme is proposed, whose key feature is the addition of virtual users in the system in order to “hide” the demands of the real users. By comparing the achievable D2D private load with an existing converse bound for the shared-link model without demand privacy constraint, the proposed scheme is shown to be order optimal, except for the very low memory size regime with more files than users. Second, in order to shed light into the open parameter regime, a new achievable scheme and a new converse bound under the constraint of uncoded cache placement (i.e., when each user stores directly a subset of the bits of the library) are developed for the case of two users, and shown to be to within a constant factor of one another for all system parameters. Finally, the two-user converse bound is extended to any number of users by a cut-set type argument. With this new converse bound, the virtual users scheme is shown to be order optimal in all parameter regimes under the constraint of uncoded cache placement and user collusion.