Cooperative Argumentation: A Model for Deliberative Community

by Josina M. Makau

As the globe shrinks, it is more important than ever to discuss ways for diverse groups to coexist peacefully. However, the individualistic ethic of many competitive, adversarial models of argument undermines the interdependence so critical to an increasingly global society. This practical text offers a fresh approach to argumentation--one that combines reason and refutation with community building, mutual respect, and a recognition of interdependence. The authors provide a wide variety of examples to illustrate concrete proposals for cultivating moral abilities, cognitive skills, and communicative virtues. The ability to engage in cooperative argumentation across differences--moral, social, economic, political ethnic--permits individuals to resolve conflicts peacefully, effectively, and responsibly. Titles of related interest from Waveland Hollihan-Baaske, Arguments and The Products and Process of Human Decision Making, Fourth Edition (ISBN 9781478647690); Infante, Arguing Constructively (ISBN 9780881333275); and Makau-Marty, Dialogue and Deliberation (9781478600657).

295 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Doaf]

Review
To preface this, I will say that this was a college textbook I was required to buy for a class. With that in mind though. you don't really expect a student to "completely" read through a textbook of their own volition. Part of it has to do with the fact that it seemed quite shorter compared to other textbooks. Don't be mistaken though, the book is quite deceptively long. Another part of it has to do with the fact that critical and ethical thinking (the subject of this book) is arguably more important than ever given the current climate (I'm writing this in June 2023). To that end, the book did a fair enough job. It's something you have to reread/go back to to fully comprehend what is being said. I got the general message most of the time, but there was definitely a lot of jargon/academic language that not everyone will understand. They do have plenty of examples and practice problems though. Never tried it, but that was a nice addition.

Overall Recommendation: For the average/casual reader like myself, you could probably find more current, less dense, and less obtuse book covering the same topic. For what it is though, I wouldn't say it was a waste of a time. Read it if you really want to.

Buy it or Borrow It?: Honestly, it's probably easier, (perhaps better,) and cheaper to find an alternative than to search for a copy. If you can borrow it, borrow it. My suggestion would be to look for ebook copies. I've seen one on Internet Archive that you could grab for a sign up.