Chapter 6. Strategic maneuvering in medical consultations
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Frans H. van Eemeren
Abstract
When doctors and patients argue their case, they are always confronted with the “argumentative predicament” that all argumentative moves they make need to be reasonable and effective at the same time. To reconcile the simultaneous pursuit of maintaining reasonableness and aiming for effectiveness, in medical consultations strategic maneuvering is required. Strategic maneuvering has three aspects, which affect each other mutually: selection from the topical potential of argumentative moves, adaptation to audience demand, and exploitation of presentational devices. In a medical consultation, strategic maneuvering takes place in all stages of the argumentative process and each argumentative move has both a reasonableness dimension and an effectiveness dimension. A series of argumentative moves is said to combine into a fully-fledged argumentative strategy when the three aspects of strategic maneuvering are coordinated within each argumenatiave move, as well as across all consecutive argumentative moves that are part of the series. When the doctor’s or the patient’s strategic maneuvering derails, this results in fallacies, which may easily go unnoticed by the other party because fallacious argumentative moves have a similar appearance as sound argumentative moves.
Abstract
When doctors and patients argue their case, they are always confronted with the “argumentative predicament” that all argumentative moves they make need to be reasonable and effective at the same time. To reconcile the simultaneous pursuit of maintaining reasonableness and aiming for effectiveness, in medical consultations strategic maneuvering is required. Strategic maneuvering has three aspects, which affect each other mutually: selection from the topical potential of argumentative moves, adaptation to audience demand, and exploitation of presentational devices. In a medical consultation, strategic maneuvering takes place in all stages of the argumentative process and each argumentative move has both a reasonableness dimension and an effectiveness dimension. A series of argumentative moves is said to combine into a fully-fledged argumentative strategy when the three aspects of strategic maneuvering are coordinated within each argumenatiave move, as well as across all consecutive argumentative moves that are part of the series. When the doctor’s or the patient’s strategic maneuvering derails, this results in fallacies, which may easily go unnoticed by the other party because fallacious argumentative moves have a similar appearance as sound argumentative moves.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface ix
- Chapter 1. Argumentation between doctors and patients 1
- Chapter 2. Argumentation and resolving differences of opinion 13
- Chapter 3. The argumentation structure 37
- Chapter 4. Assessing the soundness of argumentation 57
- Chapter 5. Fallacies in medical consultations 81
- Chapter 6. Strategic maneuvering in medical consultations 107
- Epilogue 131
- Terminology 135
- Overview of rules and fallacies 139
- Members Advisory Board 145
- About the authors 149
- References 151
- Index 153
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface ix
- Chapter 1. Argumentation between doctors and patients 1
- Chapter 2. Argumentation and resolving differences of opinion 13
- Chapter 3. The argumentation structure 37
- Chapter 4. Assessing the soundness of argumentation 57
- Chapter 5. Fallacies in medical consultations 81
- Chapter 6. Strategic maneuvering in medical consultations 107
- Epilogue 131
- Terminology 135
- Overview of rules and fallacies 139
- Members Advisory Board 145
- About the authors 149
- References 151
- Index 153
