Arguing in Direct Democracy: An Argument Scheme for Proposing Reasons in Debates Surrounding Public Votes

Topoi - 2023
Michael A. Müller1, Joannes B. Campell2
1Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2Institut für Philosophie, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

Tóm tắt

AbstractWe develop a novel argument scheme tailored to debates surrounding public votes on a state action. It can be used to propose reasons for voting “yes” or “no” and allows for natural reconstructions of such debates. These reconstructions are of particular use to voters trying to weigh the pros and cons of the proposed state action. The scheme for proposing reasons helps answering two questions: What changes will the proposed state action bring with it? And are these changes good or not? Using the scheme, we derive a three-layered structure of public debates surrounding votes that aides in constructing systematic and comprehensive overviews. The scheme for proposing reasons also lends itself to concise summaries for voter information and can be incorporated into more general deliberation dialogues.

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