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
Dr. Michael A. Yong-Set, Argumentation Studies PhD
Beyond the Bounds of Show and Tell: What to ‘Do’ with Procedural Rhetoric and Interactive-Dynamics-Experiential Argumentation
ABSTRACT: Hollywood scriptwriter Jeremy Bernstein (2014) remarks that “In film we say ‘show, don’t tell’ – in games we say ‘do, don’t show.’” In this exploratory talk, I pose this peculiar question: What, if anything, could it mean to ‘do’ rather than ‘show’ or ‘tell’ in argumentation? There is merit in considering how this adage from game design could be transposed onto argumentation. I draw upon ludology – the academic and critical study of games qua games, particularly Ian Bogost’s (2007) concept of “procedural rhetoric” – the art of persuasion through rule-based representations and interactions, rather than the spoken word, writing, images, or moving pictures. I propose making sense of ‘do’ in argumentation by conceptualizing the possibility of arguments in which the premises (considerations provided to change minds) are ‘interactive and dynamic experiences’ that have been crafted with intentionality to induce particular doxastic transitions (uptake of specific conclusions). Such arguments do not merely show audiences an inference and tell of their worthiness. Rather, the worthiness of the argument’s conclusion is made present to the audience through their own doing of things within an interactive, dynamic experience.
February 13, 2026
3:00 p.m.
Chrysler Hall North, 1163
All Welcome