What is argument for? An adaptationist approach to argument and debate

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

E-ISSN: 1469-1825|34|2|86-87

ISSN: 0140-525x

Source: Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Vol.34, Iss.2, 2011-03, pp. : 86-87

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Abstract

A consideration of selection pressures on the psychology of argument suggests that fixing the truth value of claims is not the primary criterion for argument generation or evaluation. Instead, argument psychology is designed to change representations in other minds as a way to negotiate conflicts of interest and as a way to signal social coordination.