MICHAEL REICH
Atlas of Language
Auf Deutsch lesen

Public research edition · ATLAS 260

From persuasion to reasoned judgement

An argument can be persuasive and still contain a gap. These stations move from claim and reason through the structure of an inference to what remains open.

← Public research edition

Versioned research edition. No DOI or external archival deposit is documented.

Version
atlas-260-20261017-04
Prepared
2026-10-17
Responsible editor
Michael Reich
Source release
15.9.1 · ATLAS 260
Checkpoint
atlas-260-expansion15c-20261016-checkpoint
SHA-256
f479cd366d9ea8c27a94b871d9cb0c382d03c23c980980d6a023b6d1cf2253ab
File size
63,849 Bytes
Canonical manifest SHA-256
8b36a386dbea6c48bbeb3fefe730c2128333a06e5ad847521e673a3bfbe82f92
Source base commit
36fc9bafd1ba0e1980ddd47aed4a3e9882001459

Download unchanged theme package as JSON · Manifest

Which reasons support a judgement, and under which conditions must it be revised?

Case study

Fictional exercise written for this material. Not empirical data.

An imagined study group recommends a new learning app: “Since using it, our results have improved. Nobody has proved that it does not help. Therefore everyone should use it.” Previous study time, task differences and alternative explanations are not given.

Station 1

Argumentation

The linking of claims and reasons in pursuit of justified assent.

Formulate a claim and the reason why someone should accept it. Record the two separately.

What exactly is being justified, and on what grounds?
Sources and references (2)
  • W02 · Metzler Lexikon Sprache · PDF-Seiten 76, 77, 129, 138, 139 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
    Show scope of evidence

    Offenes Beziehungsnetz → Grundbegriffsprüfung → Metzler/HWRh-Abgleich → ATLAS_238

  • W03.1 · Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik, Band 1 · PDF-Seiten 5, 7, 28, 52, 55 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
    Show scope of evidence

    Offenes Beziehungsnetz → Grundbegriffsprüfung → Metzler/HWRh-Abgleich → ATLAS_238

Examine the full profile and its sources

Sources and references

  • W02 · Metzler Lexikon Sprache · PDF-Seiten 76, 77, 129, 138, 139 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
  • W03.1 · Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik, Band 1 · PDF-Seiten 5, 7, 28, 52, 55 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich

Full profile and scope of evidence: https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-CORE-238-032

Current full profile (may have changed)

Station 2

Toulmin model of argument

The Toulmin model distinguishes data, claim, warrant, backing, qualifier and conditions of exception within an argument.

Examine the move from data to claim. The model helps frame questions without deciding the answer in advance.

Which warrant remains implicit in a short newspaper argument?
Sources and references (3)
  • Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik, Bd. 1, Artikel „Argument“; hg. von Gert Ueding, Tübingen: Max Niemeyer 1992. Sp. 899–900; PDF-Seite 458, mit anschließendem Vorbehalt im Referenztext
    Show scope of evidence

    Sechs Komponenten im Toulmin-Schema; Diagramm zusätzlich als Seitenbild geprüft. Keine direkte Volllektüre von The Uses of Argument behauptet. | Original Atlas applications remain separate.

  • Cambridge University Press: Stephen E. Toulmin, The Uses of Argument, aktualisierte Ausgabe
    Show scope of evidence

    Kein behaupteter Volltextzugang zum gesamten Buch. Die sechs Modellkomponenten werden über die bereits geprüfte HWRh-Passage belegt. | Original Atlas applications remain separate.

  • Atlas der Sprache: Vergleichsstand Release 15.8.0 / Sites 352
    Show scope of evidence

    Arbeitsbasis des zuletzt in diesem Chat veröffentlichten Stands, keine neue vollständige Produktivinventur und kein unabhängiger wissenschaftlicher Beleg. | Original Atlas applications remain separate.

Examine the full profile and its sources

Sources and references

  • Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik, Bd. 1, Artikel „Argument“; hg. von Gert Ueding, Tübingen: Max Niemeyer 1992. Sp. 899–900; PDF-Seite 458, mit anschließendem Vorbehalt im Referenztext
  • Cambridge University Press: Stephen E. Toulmin, The Uses of Argument, aktualisierte Ausgabe · https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/the-uses-of-argument/26CF801BC12004587B66778297D5567C
  • Atlas der Sprache: Vergleichsstand Release 15.8.0 / Sites 352

Full profile and scope of evidence: https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-ADD-20261016-0005

Current full profile (may have changed)

Station 3

Argument from ignorance

An argument from ignorance takes the absence of disproof or confirmation as support for declaring a claim true or false.

Examine the treatment of missing knowledge. Uncertainty and refutation are different states.

How can a statement be rewritten if it infers certainty from the absence of disproof?
Sources and references (3)
  • Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik, Bd. 1, Artikel „Argument“; hg. von Gert Ueding, Tübingen: Max Niemeyer 1992. Sp. 897–900 und 903–904; PDF-Seiten 457–458 und 460
    Show scope of evidence

    Historische Erörterung von ad ignorantiam, ad verecundiam, ad populum; a-fortiori-Beispiel. Die engeren heutigen Arbeitsschwerpunkte sind als solche markiert. | Original Atlas applications remain separate.

  • John Locke: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Book IV, Chapter XVII, §§ 19–22
    Show scope of evidence

    Historische Formulierungen nicht als deckungsgleich mit jeder späteren Fehlschlussdefinition behandeln. Keine historischen Erstbelegsbehauptungen. | Original Atlas applications remain separate.

  • Atlas der Sprache: Vergleichsstand Release 15.8.0 / Sites 352
    Show scope of evidence

    Arbeitsbasis des zuletzt in diesem Chat veröffentlichten Stands, keine neue vollständige Produktivinventur und kein unabhängiger wissenschaftlicher Beleg. | Original Atlas applications remain separate.

Examine the full profile and its sources

Sources and references

  • Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik, Bd. 1, Artikel „Argument“; hg. von Gert Ueding, Tübingen: Max Niemeyer 1992. Sp. 897–900 und 903–904; PDF-Seiten 457–458 und 460
  • John Locke: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Book IV, Chapter XVII, §§ 19–22 · https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/10616/pg10616.html
  • Atlas der Sprache: Vergleichsstand Release 15.8.0 / Sites 352

Full profile and scope of evidence: https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-ADD-20261016-0003

Current full profile (may have changed)

Station 4

Evidence

The degree to which a claim is supported by proof or compelling grounds.

Return to the source and note which part of the claim it actually supports.

Which alternative explanation also fits the available data?
Sources and references (3)
  • W02 · Metzler Lexikon Sprache · PDF-Seiten 98, 100, 321, 540, 741 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
    Show scope of evidence

    Offenes Beziehungsnetz → Grundbegriffsprüfung → Metzler/HWRh-Abgleich → ATLAS_238

  • W03.1 · Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik, Band 1 · PDF-Seiten 8, 245, 333, 388, 390 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
    Show scope of evidence

    Offenes Beziehungsnetz → Grundbegriffsprüfung → Metzler/HWRh-Abgleich → ATLAS_238

  • The Historical Thesaurus of English (2nd edn., version 5.0). 2026. University of Glasgow. Category 02.02.06.03|04 n.; node 123444. Accessed 11 September 2026.
    Show scope of evidence

    HTE finding: HTE distributes evidence across proof, testimony, legal evidence and indication branches. Atlas interpretation: Atlas defines both degree of support and supporting material in argumentation; the selected HTE proof-instance node covers only one portion. OED entry/sense identity not established.

Examine the full profile and its sources

Sources and references

  • W02 · Metzler Lexikon Sprache · PDF-Seiten 98, 100, 321, 540, 741 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
  • W03.1 · Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik, Band 1 · PDF-Seiten 8, 245, 333, 388, 390 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
  • The Historical Thesaurus of English (2nd edn., version 5.0). 2026. University of Glasgow. Category 02.02.06.03|04 n.; node 123444. Accessed 11 September 2026. · https://ht.ac.uk/category/#id=123444

Full profile and scope of evidence: https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-CORE-238-038

Current full profile (may have changed)

Research boundary

These working questions are exercises. They are not experimental findings and do not replace specialist assessment of a particular dispute.

Fixed learning materials for this version

Rights

Atlas text and exercises: © Michael Reich. Third-party works are referenced bibliographically; their rights and access conditions apply separately. No blanket reuse permission for third-party texts.

Citation of this version

Michael Reich: From persuasion to reasoned judgement. Atlas der Sprache / Atlas of Language. atlas-260-20261017-04, 2026-10-17. https://atlasoflanguage.com/editions/atlas-260-20261017-04/streit-und-gruende. Add access date. Versioned research edition. No DOI or external archival deposit is documented.