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Stephen Toulmin was born in London on March 25, 1922.
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Toulmin received his BA in mathematics and physics from Kings College in 1942 and his Doctorate in ethics from Cambridge University in 1948. While at Cambridge, he studied under Ludwig Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein's concern for links between meanings and use of language influenced much of Toulmin's work in moral and rhetoric reasoning. After graduation he became university lecturer in philosophy at Oxford University.
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Toulmin released multiple books, one of his most influential being "The Uses of Argument" in 1958. The idea behind the book was to "criticize the assumption, made by most Anglo-American academic philosophers, that any significant argument can be put in formal terms". Toulmin gives justification to arguments in six parts known as the Toulmin Model of Argument, which is is still used today by the communication community.
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Toulmin found six parts in his contribution to argument theory: claim, data/evidence, warrant, backing, rebuttal and qualifier. The following video goes into further detail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-YPPQztuOY
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Toulmin released the book, often mentioned along with Thomas Kuhn's work. The book examined the purpose of science and the information needed for a theory. Toulmin rejected the thesis that all sciences have a aim or purpose.
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In the book, Toulmin criticizes Thomas Kuhn's theory of paradigm shifts in the revolutionary process, and instead proposed a Darwinian model of conceptual change.
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The National Endowment for the Humanities honored him, with the highest honor the federal government confers for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities.
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Toulmin was named the Gifford Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh.
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Stephen Toulmin passed away at USC University hospital in Los Angeles, California on December 4, 2009.
