Presumptions in Argumentation A Systematic Analysis

The internet meme 'Change My Mind' portrays a cheerful man inviting passers-by to discuss highly controversial statements. He is sitting in a public space, behind a desk with a sign that reads, for instance, "Male privilege is a myth / Change My Mind," "Coronavirus is a hoax / Change My Mind," "Penguins are panda chickens / Change My Mind," or "Cereal is a soup / Change My Mind."
What makes the 'Change My Mind' meme so popular? In my opinion, the meme is funny because there is something deeply irrational about the situation it depicts and popular because we can easily relate to this irrationality. We are shocked but also entertained by the fact that people believe absurd claims. Also, we are shocked, as well as entertained by the fact that those who advance absurd claims often win debates. It is easy to imagine a confident eccentric proponent using a myriad of creative rhetorical strategies to refute the opponent's arguments favouring an obviously plausible view, such as "Cereal is not a soup." As the dialogue progresses, the opponent will likely become frustrated; her arguments will become ill-shaped and hasty until she finally quits the discussion by offering, for instance, the petitio principii: "Cereal is not a soup, because it just isn't. Debating this was a bad idea to begin with." Since everyone has lost a debate about a plausible standpoint at least once, the 'Change My Mind' meme is popular because it relies on universal experience.
As a result, dialectical foundationalists suggest that there is a set of dialogically privileged propositions, i.e., statements that, once challenged, do not require an immediate (sufficient) defence, but instead place the burden of proof on the challenger. Traditionally, legal scholars, philosophers, and argumentation theorists label these statements as presumptions. Presumptions, or, more precisely, the standard accounts of presumption are the focus of this dissertation.



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