The Centre for Research in Reasoning, Argumentation & Rhetoric along with the PhD in Argumentation Studies at the University of Windsor invite you to a talk by
Hans V. Hansen, CRRAR Fellow
Mill, the Equality of Women, and Burdens
Abstract: The concepts of presumption and burden of proof explicitly provide the framework for the argumentation in chapter 1 of J.S. Mill’s famous, The Subjection of Women (1869). The chapter is a classic example of the struggle between conservative and liberal views, between permanence and change. In this presentation I tell the story of Mill’s celebrated argumentation in favour of equality for women and consider a number of models that can help us see the structure of his persuasive efforts. In particular, (i) Mill’s debt to Bentham and Whately -- and perhaps Grönbeck and Sproule? -- in his wielding of the concept of presumption and burden of proof is explored; (ii) the multi-functional role of arguments proposed by normative pragmatics can account for some of the turns in the process of the chapter’s argumentation; and, (iii) Thagard’s use of cognitive-affective mapping can be enlisted to shed light on what Mill takes to be the major obstacle to persuasion on the question of equal rights for women: opinions based on feelings, instincts and customs, rather than arguments.
Friday, March 14th, 2025
3:00 PM
Chrysler Hall North, 1163
All Welcome