Depicting Visual Arguments: An ART Approach

Abstract

Twenty years after the publication of the first papers on visual argument, this essay provides an account of visual argument which reflects what we have learned in subsequent discussion. It proposes a methodology for the analysis of visual argu­ments that can be used to identify their key components and depict their structure. The same methodology can be applied to other kinds of argument (verbal or multi­modal), providing a systematic way to analyze all argument. I propose it as one part of an ART approach to visual argument which aims to acknowledge visual arguments; represent their contents; and test their strength.