Argumentation is a central part of how we negotiate our everyday lives in a complex world. In many contexts it matters that arguments are rational: that means, it is not enough that they are simply (subjectively) convincing. Rational argument involves ‘norms’ or ‘standards’ against which actual arguments can be compared. These standards provide a yardstick for argument quality and allow us to make statements about when particular arguments are weak or strong.
While we might not always care about that when we are trying to convince others, we typically don’t want the wool pulled over our eyes when arguments are addressed at us. So, at least when we are the addresses of arguments, we should care about whether an argument genuinely provides a good reason or not.
The site brings together a number of different projects on rational argument. We hope readers will find it useful, and we hope it will contribute to making public debate a little bit better.