Petitio principii: the case for non-fallaciousness

Cummings, L, 2000. Petitio principii: the case for non-fallaciousness. Informal Logic, 20 (1), pp. 1-18. ISSN 0824-2577

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Abstract

This paper presents a case for the non-fallaciousness of petitio principii in the context where the only evidence which can confirm the conclusion of an argument has a content which is identical to the content of the conclusion. The more usual rhetorical and dialectical frameworks for the analysis off allacies are challenged for what I describe as their proscriptive stance. As an alternative to proscription, I recommend an analysis of the context in which petitio arguments occur. Such an analysis, I argue, suggests the relaxation of a priority condition described by Waiton (1985) and the relevance to the present case of Sorensen's (1991) analysis ofthe non-circularity of certain 'P, therefore, P' arguments.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Informal Logic
Creators:	Cummings, L.
Publisher:	University of Windsor
Place of Publication:	Windsor, Canada
Date:	2000
Volume:	20
Number:	1
ISSN:	0824-2577
Divisions:	Schools > School of Arts and Humanities
Record created by:	EPrints Services
Date Added:	09 Oct 2015 10:05
Last Modified:	12 Oct 2015 12:36
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/7499

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