Argument or explanation: Who is to decide?

Abstract

Granting that explanations that answer a why-question, and arguments, are the products of two species of the activity of reason-giving, do they make an exclusive and exhaustive classification? The orthodox distinction between explanation and argument is based on the status of their conclusion: is it accepted or not? However, this view faces some tough cases, which are discussed. Most of the criteria used to distinguish argument and explanation according to the orthodox view cause tough cases to proliferate and hardly accommodate common communicative situations. This suggests that the orthodox distinction is not satisfactory.