Introduction

Abstract

Argumentation constitutes an important dimension of daily life and of professional activities. It also plays a special role in democracies and is at the heart of philosophical reasoning and scientific inquiry. Argumentation has an increasing importance in education, not only because it is an important competence that has to be learned, but also because argumentation can be used to foster learning in philosophy, history, sciences and mathematics, and in many other domains. During the last decade, argumentation has attracted growing attention as a linguistic, logical, dialogical, and psychological process that sustains or provokes reasoning and learning. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.