Wigmore's Chart Method

Authors

  • Jean Goodwin Iowa State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22329/il.v20i3.2278

Keywords:

J .H. Wigmore, A. Sidgwick, tree diagram, rhetoric, inference, argument, proof, premise adequacy, dialectical obligations, argument assessment

Abstract

A generation before Beardsley, legal scholar John Henry Wigmore invented a scheme for representing arguments in a tree diagram, aimed to help advocates analyze the proof of facts at trial. In this essay, I describe Wigmore's "Chart Method" and trace its origin and influence. Wigmore, I argue, contributes to contemporary theory in two ways. His rhetorical approach to diagramming provides a novel perspective on problems about the theory of reasoning, premise adequacy, and dialectical obligations. Further, he advances a novel solution to the problem of assessing argument quality by representing the strength of argument in meeting objections.

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Published

2000-01-01

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 3 (2000)

Section

Articles

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