Spring School "Kritisches Denken und Argumentationsanalyse (Critical thinking and argumentation analysis)"

Arguments play a central role in philosophy, other sciences, political discourse, and everyday situations. However, they are often not easy to analyze, partly because they first need to be extracted from texts, because in almost all arguments justifications or conclusions are not explicitly stated, and because philosophers typically don’t deal with individual arguments but develop complex argumentations and confront arguments with counter-arguments in debates.

• Examine debates and controversies
• Map and logically analyze complex arguments
• Use software tools for argument analysis
• Collaborate with fellow students and lecturers from other universities

In the Spring School, we will develop techniques for reconstructing complex arguments and debates. The focus will be on software-supported project work, where we create “argument maps” - diagrams of complex arguments. Based on these, we will discuss theoretical questions about argumentation, such as:
What principles guide the analysis and evaluation of arguments? How can we meaningfully address the interpretive underdetermination of argumentative texts? How can arguments relate to each other? How can logic be used for analyzing and evaluating arguments? According to what principles can pro and con arguments be weighed? What are fallacies?

During the Spring School, participants will work on reconstructing an argument, for example from a philosophical primary text or a political debate. For this purpose, teams will be formed, which may include students from different universities.

Schedule

• Application deadline: February 20, 2026
• Notification of acceptance by the end of February
• First meeting (hybrid) of all participants: March 5, 2026
• Team formation: early March 2026
• Self-directed study of argument analysis fundamentals and team project work, accompanied by instructors: March - May 2026
• Spring School: May 14-17, 2026

Requirements

The Spring School is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students (B.A. and M.A.) as well as PhD students from all disciplines. Basic knowledge of logic is required.

Costs

Participation (including accommodation and meals) is free of charge. Travel expenses can be partially reimbursed.

Application

• Informal letter of application
• Short statement of motivation
• 1-2 topic suggestions for reconstruction projects
• Information about your academic background
• Send as a single PDF file to: lehre.seidel@itz.kit.edu

Examples and Resources for First Impressions

• David Lanius, How Do Right-Wing Populists Argue? An argument analysis using the example of the AfD party program.
• Brun, G., Betz, G. (2016). Analysing Practical Argumentation. In: Hansson, S., Hirsch Hadorn, G. (eds) The Argumentative Turn in Policy Analysis. Logic, Argumentation & Reasoning, vol 10. Springer, Cham.
• Critical Thinking Web
• Argdown

For questions, please contact Gregor Betz, Christian Seidel, or georg.brun@unibe.ch.