PRESUMPTION AS SPEECH ACT IN ARGUMENTATION

In this paper the problem of presumption is analysed as much from a pragmatic perspective, as from the angle of contemporary argumentation theory. The main goal is to characterise and discuss the role of this type of speech act in controversial exchanges. In this effort, cognitive, pragmatic and argumentative aspects will be considered. The analysis will conclude that although presumption has a conservative social strength, it is characterised mainly by being a complex speech act that is manifested in sequence and, for this reason, is at the same time a compromising speech act as well as a defeasible and fallible reasoning.