Argumentative Inquiry

Arguments - the idea that changes the world

Knowledge claims of how to act, be they strategies or recommendations from from research findings, need to be justified with reasonable evidence. Talking of 'evidence based' strategy or research does however sound like a reinvention of the ancient art of argument. Dialectic argument is also a research (inquiry) approach. An argument contains a dialectic of concepts.

BOOK: Why Argument is Critical for Useful Research Edwin Mellon Press, M. Metcalfe, 2007

We use the term 'Argumentative inquiry' to construct an interpretive research epistemology. One that encourages in multiple interpretations of the physical world provided they are reasonably justified to a knowledgeable audience. Agreeing with John Dewey, it aligns the method of communicating an inquiry with how it was undertaken. Argument is not primarily seen as persuasion, logic, or conflict. Rather it provides an opportunity for a creative dialectic to improve human inquiry. Therefore, as an epistemology, it draws on the best of science and the post-modern, perhaps aligning with Rorty’s ideas of dialectic argument revealing irony. The papers below explore what argumentative inquiry is, why we should use it, how it might be undertaken, how it is to be applied in detail and how it can be used to design research reports (thesis). The papers are also presented here as part of a research critique course design. See the side menu item "Critiquing Research".

If you have any further questions, then please do not hesitate to contact me: mike.metcalfe@unisa.edu.au.

To view the following PDFs you will require Adobe Acrobat Reader (These files range in size from 29Kb to 652Kb)