Telling Examples. Strategic manoeuvring in plenary debates in the European Parliament
Members of Parliament may make use of argumentation from examples to justify policies and legislation. In this contribution I concentrate on how argumentation from example may be used to manoeuvre strategically in plenary legislative debates in the European parliament. As a framework for the analysis of the strategic use of examples in the institutional setting of the European parliament, I shall make use of van Eemeren and Houtlosser’s (1999, 2002) concept of strategic manoeuvring.
Strategic Maneuvering: A Synthetic Recapitulation
As an introduction to the special issue on Perspectives on Strategic Maneuvering, this article provides a synthetic recapitulation of the various steps that were taken in developing the pragma-dialectical theory of strategic maneuvering. First, the concept of strategic maneuvering is described as a means to reconcile the simultaneous pursuit of dialectical and rhetorical aims. Second, strategic maneuvering is related to the various kinds of argumentative activity types in which it takes place. Third, the concept of dialectical profiles is discussed and the parameters that are pertinent to distinguishing between different types of strategic maneuvering. Fourth, the fallacies are viewed as derailment of strategic maneuvering. Fifth, as a case in point, strategic maneuvering with inconsistency is examined.
Judging , Evaluation , and the Quality of CEDA Debate
The Cross Examination Debate Association was founded in 1974 in an attempt to improve the quality of academic debate. In the fourteen years since its inception, this Association has, in fact, had a profound and favorable influence. On the other hand, a good deal of dissatisfaction has been expressed, much of it by CEDA coaches who feel that, more change is necessary and that a certain amount of backsliding has taken place. This essay argues that feedback is the single most important factor in determining the quality of debates and that more can be done to actualize the goals of CEDA through judging and evaluation than by any other means.