Argumentation and Ethics (Essay Sample)

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The Argumentation Test"; In-Depth Essay Prompts: argumentation and ethics, ability of argument to fundamentally “Change the World”, & “Naïve Scientist” and the “Cognitive Miser”
1 Argumentation and ethics
Argumentation refers to dialogic communication in which two or more persons seek to justify or to excuse a belief or a course of action (Freeman 17). This form of dialogic communication aims at questioning certain aspects such as beliefs and whether one ought to accept or reject or an action that one should take or not take or whether the circumstances under which a case presents enough reasons that warrant excusing a person for doing or believing in something that is contrary to the right. Therefore, argumentation occurs whenever there is a cognitive dissonance between two people or among a group of individuals in which each individual has inconsistent thoughts, believes or attitudes regarding behavioural decisions and changes in attitude. These changes in attitude are best explained by the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) of persuasion, which is a dual process theory that provides insights on the change of attitudes. Developed by Richard E. Petty and john Cacioppo in 1980, the model focuses on explaining the various ways of processing stimuli, the reason for their use and their outcomes on changes in attitude (Cacioppo, Stephanie, & Richard 156). By providing the insights on the processing of stimuli, the model helps in the understanding of how arguments develop or come about.