The contributions of Stephen Toulmin's argumentation to contemporary epistemology

Abstract

In this article we briefly review the model of argumentation designed by the British philosopher Stephen Edelston Toulmin in his book The Uses of Argument, both in its macro and micro aspects, in order to point out the advantages it represented in comparison with the positions of his direct predecessors. From this, we dedicate ourselves to indicate the important place that this thinker has for contemporary epistemology. Then, we show its actuality and usefulness to represent inferences in a great number of argumentative contexts. Finally, we conclude by offering a critical balance to mark his possible failures and successes in the construction of thought and argumentation in current analytic philosophy.