Abstract: Dialecticalapproaches traditionally conceptualizeargumentation as a discussioninwhichtwopartiesdebateon “twosidesofan issue” (proandcon).However,many politicalissuesengendermultiple positions. Thisis clearinmulti-partyonline deliberationsin which often an arrayof competing positionsis debated in one and the samediscussion. A proponent of agiven position thus addresses anumberofpossibleopponents,whointurnmayholdincompatibleopinions.Thegoalofthispaperistoshedextralightonsuch“polylogical”clashofopinionsinonlinedeliberation,byexaminingthemulti-layeredparticipationinactualonlinedebates.Theexamplesaredrawnfromthereaders’discussionsonOsamabinLaden’skillinginonlineversionsoftwoBritishnewspapers:TheGuardianandTheTelegraph.Asaresultoftheanalysis,adistinctionbetweensides,positions,andcasesinargumentativedeliberationisproposed.
Keywords:argumentation,deliberation,onlinediscussions,politicalargument,polylogue
Rhetoric and Communications Е-Journal, Issue 10, October 2013, http://rhetoric.bg/, ISSN 1314-4464