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
Amanda Panambí Morales Vidales, BA, MA, PhD
Knowing the Sensible: A Methodological Proposal for the Analysis of Sensible Reasons in Argumentation
Abstract: This presentation proposes a methodological framework for the assessment of sensible reasons in political and social argumentation within the informal logic tradition. In contrast to approaches that separate reason from emotion, it argues that affective-symbolic forms—such as fear, dignity, anger, grief, silence, and collective gestures—function not only as persuasive devices but also as situated modes of reasoning that shape justification, orientation, and judgment.
The framework introduces criteria for assessing how affective configurations function as evidence, how they scaffold argumentative structure, and under what conditions they acquire epistemic warrant and public intelligibility without foreclosing deliberation. It is applied comparatively to two political cases: an institutional argument that frames migration as a national emergency, and a counter-hegemonic argument articulated by migrant rights movements that emphasizes rights, solidarity, and regularization. The analysis shows how different sensible forms generate divergent standards of public reasonableness, legitimacy, and critique. The contribution is to extend argument evaluation beyond propositional criteria toward a critical account of how feeling becomes reason in contemporary political discourse.
January 30, 2026
3:00 p.m.
Chrysler Hall North, 1163
All Welcome