Fourteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

Advocacy involves taking a stance and then supporting that stance with good reasons. In other words, advocacy relies upon good arguments. But what does it mean to make an argument? Unfortunately, in our increasingly polarized world, “argument” has become synonymous with “fight.” This paper seeks to retrieve a notion of “argument” as a respectful, critical exchange of ideas, for the purpose of finding solutions to our shared problems. It shows that argument strategies presuppose particular design choices, meaning that there are different ways to conceive of and to construct arguments. The decision about how to design an argument for advocacy is itself an ethical choice, as different constructions of argument vary in their capacity to promote constructive, public advocacy. With good design, the arguments of advocacy can be ethical and effective. This paper includes specific examples of argumentation to convey the practical consequences of the argument design choices that we make.