Argumentation, Cognition and Language
The Argumentation, Cognition and Language Lab (ArgLab) is one of the leading, internationally acknowledged research structures in argumentation theory and mind and reasoning. Its basic aim is to offer a consistent philosophical perspective on the fundamental problems of human reasoning and argumentation in a way that directly enlightens crucial social problems. To this end, ArgLab investigates and develops forefront issues in argumentation theory, pragmatics, philosophy of mind and technology, meta-ethics and the philosophy of language. Across all these areas, it focuses on argumentation and decision-making processes both in their linguistic and cognitive aspects, studying the relationship between different forms of reasoning and the grounding of decisions taken under the conditions of uncertainty and value plurality. This focus allows for a situated approach, where philosophical concepts become tools for empirical investigation and social intervention in particularly salient social contexts – education, environment, healthcare, law, politics, and technology.
Thanks to its consistent research output, numerous projects (amounting to a total of over 2mln € external funding in the last 3 years), and ongoing activities, the ArgLab has gained international recognition on argumentation studies (e.g., it organized the 1st European Conference on Argumentation in 2015). It includes 18 fully integrated researchers (post-docs, research fellows, professors) and 7 collaborators (Ph.D. students). ArgLab activities are organized into three basic Research Groups.
