Abstract The debate on the a fortiori and universal that took place between April 1914 1919 in journal Mind has double interest for argumentation theorists. First, discussion is an example of philosophical polylogue exhibits characteristics quasi-engaged dialogue (Blair Blair, J. A. (2012 [1998]). “The Limits Dialogue Model Argument”. Argumentation 12, pp. 325–339. Reprinted J.A. Groundwork The...

In The Particularistic President we challenge the dominant paradigm asserting presidential universalism. Instead, we argue that presidents possess strong electoral and partisan incentives to pursue policies that prioritize the needs of some Americans over those of others. In this article, we review our larger argument and expand upon our analyses of two policy areas where presidents have unilat...

We analyze a model of legislative particularism to understand how the provision of constituency service responds to variations in institutional and electoral environments. We show that increased partisan balance in the electorate, single-member districts, and independent executives all increase incentives for legislators to provide constituency service. The results of the model are consistent w...

This is an experimental seminar, organized around an idea, or a hope. The idea is that default logic can be used to develop a formally precise theory of reasons—what they are, how they interact— and that this theory can then be applied to other areas of philosophy in which talk of reasons is common, such as ethics or epistemology. In order to explore this idea, we will have to spend some time u...