John Anthony Blair

J. Anthony Blair is a prominent international figure in argumentation studies. He is among the originators of informal logic, an author of textbooks on the informal logic approach to argument analysis and evaluation and on critical thinking, and a founder and editor of the journal Informal Logic. Blair is widely recognized among the leaders in the field for contributing formative ideas to the argumentation literature of the last few decades. This selection of key works provides insights into the history of the field of argumentation theory and various related disciplines. It illuminates the central debates and presents core ideas in four main areas: Critical Thinking, Informal Logic, Argument Theory and Logic, Dialectic and Rhetoric.

Built in the centre of Copenhagen, and noted for its equestrian stairway, the Rundetaarn (Round Tower), was intended as an astronomical observatory. Part of a complex of buildings that once included a university library, it affords expansive views of the city in every direction, towering above what surrounds it. The metaphor of the towering figure, who sees what others might not, whose vantage point allows him to visualize how things fit together, and who has an earned-stature of respect and authority, fits another Danish stalwart, Hans Vilhelm Hansen, whose contributions to the fields of informal logic and argument theory have earned the gratitude of his colleagues, and inspired this collection of essays, written to express the appreciation of its authors and of the many, many colleagues they represent.

Built in the centre of Copenhagen, and noted for its equestrian stairway, the Rundetaarn, was intended as an astronomical observatory. Part of a complex of buildings that once included a university library, it affords expansive views of the city in every direction, towering above what surrounds it. The metaphor of the towering figure, who sees what others might not, whose vantage point allows him to visualize how things fit together, and who has an earned-stature of respect and authority, fits another Danish stalwart, Hans Vilhelm Hansen, whose contributions to the fields of informal logic and argument theory have earned the gratitude of his colleagues, and inspired this collection of essays, written to express the appreciation of its authors and of the many, many colleagues they represent.

The last number of Informal Logic, Vol. 37, No. 3, was devoted to a discussion by five scholars of various aspects of Harald Wohlrapp’s book, The Concept of Argument, detailing its innovative features and exploring some of the questions raised by his account. In this issue, we are pleased to provide Professor Wohlrapp’s extensive responses to those papers. He here elaborates further on the approach he takes to the study of argument, clarifying a number of points that were raised and replying to objections.

The last number of _Informal Logic_, Vol. 37, No. 3, was devoted to a discussion by five scholars of various aspects of Harald Wohlrapp’s book, _The Concept of Argument_, detailing its innovative features and exploring some of the questions raised by his account. In this issue, we are pleased to provide Professor Wohlrapp’s extensive responses to those papers. He here elaborates further on the approach he takes to the study of argument, clarifying a number of points that were raised and replying to objections.

The last number of _Informal Logic_, Vol. 37, No. 3, was devoted to a discussion by five scholars of various aspects of Harald Wohlrapp’s book, _The Concept of Argument_, detailing its innovative features and exploring some of the questions raised by his account. In this issue, we are pleased to provide Professor Wohlrapp’s extensive responses to those papers. He here elaborates further on the approach he takes to the study of argument, clarifying a number of points that were raised and replying to objections.