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The Universal and Particular: Stephen Toulmin's Rhetorical Theory and the Natural Law Tradition

This paper examines the relationship between Stephen Toulmin's rhetorical theory and the natural law tradition. Natural law honors universal law but allows situational responsiveness within this universal. A branch of the natural law tradition is casuistry, which applies practical reasoning to specific cases in order to discern the most moral course of action. Toulmin advocated a renewal of the use of casuistry because it is inherently more rhetorical and therefore more applicable than universal ethics, but his theories of argumentation and rhetoric reflect an understanding of the interplay between universal and particular.