stephen toulmin by hana ayele. stephen toulmin born on march 25, 1922 attended king’s college...
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Stephen Toulmin
Born on March 25, 1922 Attended King’s College
1942: received Bachelors of Art Degree in math and physics
King’s College
During WWII, Toulmin worked at Ministry of Aircraft Production
Junior scientific officer At one point, worked in Germany at Supreme
Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force
After war, returned to England and attended Cambridge
Cambridge
At Cambridge: Master of Arts degree (1947) Doctorate of Philosophy
Meets Ludwig Wittgenstein Austrian philosopher Examined the connection between the uses and the meanings of language
Had a great effect on Toulmin’s workLudwig Wittgenstein
Teaching Career
After graduating from Cambridge, he was appointed University Lecturer in Philosophy of Science at Oxford (1949-54)
Wrote The Philosophy of Science: an Introduction (1953)
Professor of History & Philosophy of Science at Melbourne University, Australia (1954-55)
Professor & Chair of Department of Philosophy at University of Leeds (1955-59)
Publishes The Uses of Argument
The Uses of Argument
Published in 1958 Discussed the problems of traditional
logic Criticized in England as “Toulmin’s anti-
logic book” Well received in U.S.
Visits Stanford and Columbia Universities While in America, his work is introduced to many communication scholars
1960- returns to London as Director of History of Ideas at Nuffield Foundation
1965- returns to America Holds positions at several different universities Continues to teach at universities throughout
America and England Including: Columbia, Dartmouth, Michigan State,
Northwestern, Stanford, and the University of Chicago
Ideas
Fundamental concern: clarify nature of moral reasoning and the logic that accompanies it
Ethics should attempt to discover good moral arguments
Moral reasoning is inductive Moral philosophers
Absolutism has little practical value Introduce reason into moral judgements
Contributions
Helped advance the shift from formal, technical logics to more informal, rhetorical logics
His works have helped people better understand the complex natures of human language and rationality
Popular Works
The Uses of Argument- 1958 Philosophy of Science- 1953 Foresight and Understanding- 1960 Discovery of Time – 1965 Wittgenstein’s Vienna- 1973 Knowing and Acting- 1976 The Abuse of Casuistry: A History of Moral
Reasoning- 1990 Return to Reason - 2001
Quiz
During WWII, in what department did Toulmin work?
What was the name of the Austrian philosopher who had a great influence on Toulmin?
True or False: Toulmin Helped advance a more formal, technical logic?
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