scholarly journals Who’s Afraid of Adversariality? Conflict and Cooperation in Argumentation

Topoi ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catarina Dutilh Novaes

AbstractSince at least the 1980s, the role of adversariality in argumentation has been extensively discussed within different domains. Prima facie, there seem to be two extreme positions on this issue: argumentation should (ideally at least) never be adversarial, as we should always aim for cooperative argumentative engagement; argumentation should be and in fact is always adversarial, given that adversariality (when suitably conceptualized) is an intrinsic property of argumentation. I here defend the view that specific instances of argumentation are (and should be) adversarial or cooperative to different degrees. What determines whether an argumentative situation should be primarily adversarial or primarily cooperative are contextual features and background conditions external to the argumentative situation itself, in particular the extent to which the parties involved have prior conflicting or else convergent interests. To further develop this claim, I consider three teloi that are frequently associated with argumentation: the epistemic telos, the consensus-building telos, and the conflict management telos. I start with a brief discussion of the concepts of adversariality, cooperation, and conflict in general. I then sketch the main lines of the debates in the recent literature on adversariality in argumentation. Next, I discuss the three teloi of argumentation listed above in turn, emphasizing the roles of adversariality and cooperation for each of them.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
İzlem Gözükara Yıldız

Conflict is a state of disagreement experienced between two individuals or parties, which can result from many factors. When conflict occurs at organizations, it may lead to many problems such as unaccomplished goals, decreased effectiveness, and low levels of individual and overall performance. However, organizational conflict may positively influence organizations under certain circumstances. The recent literature especially places emphasis on conflict management rather than conflict resolution, as conflicts are likely to enable organizations to enhance their performance and productivity when they are managed in an appropriate way. In this sense, organizations have to develop strategies that are aimed at improving the constructive aspect of conflicts instead of trying to reduce and remove them. As the first step toward this goal, organizations have to provide a learning environment so that they can benefit from conflicts. Since it is considered a key concept for the survival and adaptability of an organization, organizational learning stands out as an effective means of fostering such favorable effects. For this purpose, this article discusses the role of organizational learning in conflict management by examining the factors that facilitate and result from it.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maciej Kościelniak ◽  
Jarosław Piotrowski ◽  
Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska

Many authors examined the interplay between gender and conflict management preferences, but those findings were often mixed and inconsistent. In the current paper we tried to explain those inconsistencies by investigating the mediating role of personality for the relationship of gender and conflict management. Rahim's inventory was used for identifying five conflict management styles, and Big Five Model theory was a base for assessing participants' personality traits. Data were collected from a sample of 1,055 working Poles (52.7% women), in an online survey. Based on the structural equation modeling we detected multiple indirect mediating paths of gender on conflict management via personality traits, while no direct effect of gender was observed. Despite some limitations, the study sheds light on the actual role of gender in conflict behavior and the importance of personality traits in the conflict management, both from a theoretical and practical perspective.


Author(s):  
Jaroslav Tir ◽  
Johannes Karreth

After summarizing the theoretical arguments and findings of this book, we discuss key lessons learned from our study. The international environment has a significant influence on civil war development and prevention. Amplifying their conflict-preventing influence on member-states, highly structured intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) often coordinate their activities, especially in the area of political violence and state fragility. We then identify a number of tangible, economic incentives as the main pathways of this influence. Overall, this book suggests that the economic benefits of peace provide a potent temptation—for both governments and rebels—to settle low-level armed conflict before it can escalate to full-scale civil war. With these lessons learned, we also identify suggestions for both the research into and practice of conflict management. The chapter closes by pointing to opportunities for making use of our findings to further capitalize on the role of highly structured IGOs in civil war prevention.


Author(s):  
Margaret Morrison

After reviewing some of the recent literature on non-causal and mathematical explanation, this chapter develops an argument as to why renormalization group (RG) methods should be seen as providing non-causal, yet physical, information about certain kinds of systems/phenomena. The argument centres on the structural character of RG explanations and the relationship between RG and probability theory. These features are crucial for the claim that the non-causal status of RG explanations involves something different from simply ignoring or “averaging over” microphysical details—the kind of explanations common to statistical mechanics. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the role of RG in treating dynamical systems and how that role exemplifies the structural aspects of RG explanations which in turn exemplifies the non-causal features.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 2333794X2110254
Author(s):  
Madeline Spencer ◽  
Nenagh Kemp ◽  
Vaughan Cruickshank ◽  
Claire Otten ◽  
Rosie Nash

Health literacy is a critically important determinant of health and is influenced by access to supportive social networks and services. Global investment in education throughout the life course is required to support health literacy development. The aim of this review is to characterize the role, responsibilities, and the optimal setting for the emergent role of a Health Literacy Mediator (HLM). A scoping review of recent literature was conducted. The review revealed a lack of consensus on who should be teaching health literacy, and variability in confidence when teaching health literacy. Professionals reported facing barriers such as a lack of time, a lack of knowledge, and recognized that the health literacy needs of children worldwide are not being met. Further research into the role of HLM is required to determine who is best suited to this role and what their responsibilities will be to ensure consistent health literacy education.


Philosophy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-97
Author(s):  
Hassan Alsharif ◽  
John Symons

AbstractThis paper argues that open-mindedness is a corrective virtue. It serves as a corrective to the epistemic vice of confirmation bias. Specifically, open-mindedness is the epistemically virtuous disposition to resist the negative effects of confirmation bias on our ability to reason well and to evaluate evidence and arguments. As part of the defense and presentation of our account, we explore four discussions of open-mindedness in the recent literature. All four approaches have strengths and shed light on aspects of the virtue of open-mindedness. Each mentions various symptoms of confirmation bias and some explore aspects of the corrective role of open-mindedness. However, ours is the first to explicitly identify open-mindedness as a corrective virtue to the specific epistemic vice of confirmation bias. We show how the corrective account also permits a response to the concern that open-mindedness might not actually count as a virtue.


2021 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Vicuña ◽  
Bernardo González

Abstract Background In this article we would like to touch on the key role played by the microbiota in the maintenance of a sustainable environment in the entire planet. For obvious reasons, this article does not intend to review thoroughly this extremely complex topic, but rather to focus on the main threats that this natural scenario is presently facing. Methods Recent literature survey. Results Despite the relevance of microorganisms have in our planet, the effects of climate change on microbial communities have been scarcely and not systematically addressed in literature. Although the role of microorganisms in emissions of greenhouse gases has received some attention, there are several microbial processes that are affected by climate change with consequences that are presently under assessment. Among them, host-pathogen interactions, the microbiome of built environment, or relations among plants and beneficial microbes. Conclusions Further research is required to advance in knowledge of the effect of climate change on microbial communities. One of the main targets should be a complete evaluation of the global microbial functional diversity and the design of new strategies to cope with limitations in methods to grow microorganisms in the laboratory. These efforts should contribute to raise a general public awareness on the major role played by the microbiota on the various Earth ecosystems.


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