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Meta-philosophy
In his many studies to get to the root of meta-philosophy as well as find the truth of things and knowledge, Toulmin rejects the ideas related to absolutism and defends relativism.
The idea of absolutism stemmed from Plato's formal logic idea. Toulmin believed that the idea had limited value practically. Absolutists believed that the context of an argument didn't matter but could be solved using moral standards. Relativism or right and wrong existed within different philosophical ideas. -
Argument against Absolutism
Standing on his idea that absolutism is impractical, he created a model to explain the "art" of an argument. With a simple basis, the model explained that the success of an argument needed a reason for the claim.
In 1958, Toulmin's book 'The Uses of Argument' (1958) first debuted an explanation of a proper argument with reasoning. -
The book 'The Uses of Argument'
The main point of the book included the ideas: claim, ground, warrant, backing, rebuttal and qualifier. With this model, readers understand the correct way to present a claim and defend it. -
Casuistry
Toulmin desired to find a middle ground between absolutism and relativism. The idea of casuistry, which was first studied during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, partially employs the principles in absolutism.
Casuistry is a paradigm and uses standards of life to present an argument. The idea of casuistry fell silent in the modern era but Toulmin's work with Albert R. Jonsen allowed the idea to be re-presented as an effective way to present an argument (1988).