A framework for analysing arguments developed by Stephen Toulmin in 1958 in the book ‘The uses of argument’. The model challenged the widespread view at the time that arguments are simply composed of premises and conclusions. Toulmin argued that in supporting a claim, providing additional data is not the only way to go; an alternative path for challenging a conclusion is to make rules, principles, inferences, and other information that leads to the conclusion. The model is composed of the following parts: data, warrant, qualifier, rebuttal, backing and claim. The Toulmin model is widely employed in the fields of philosophy and communication studies.
Published in Chapter:
Exploring Ethics in Innovation: The Case of High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Leticia Antunes Nogueira (Aalborg University, Denmark) and Tadeu Fernando Nogueira (Aalborg University, Denmark)
Copyright: © 2015
|Pages: 35
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-7476-9.ch004
Abstract
This chapter challenges the view of innovation as synonymous to improvement, which underlies much of the current business paradigm. It debates the presence of the ethical element in innovation processes by presenting the case study of high-fructose corn syrup, a product innovation widely used in the food industry. An argumentative analysis is conducted upon the case, taking into account the perspective of the different stakeholders. The main message of this chapter is that innovations have an inherent ethical dimension and that, for them to serve important societal purposes, it is imperative for the ethical dimension to be considered by different actors in the system.