Abstract:

Chinese logicians have recently found themselves interested in the logical analysis of debate which is understood as a kind of intersubjective speech communication and aimed at the elimination of disputes and the pursuit of consensus. Based on the current practice of debate and relevant research achievements, this article makes a preliminary analysis of the essence, structure and rules of debate. It examines, the relationship between debate and argument, discusses the typology of debate and its ideal model, and analyzes the static and dynamic structures of debate. Moreover, this article provides some pragmatic or procedural rules of debate such as the principle of sincerity, the principle of politeness, the principle of intelligibility and the principle of the reciproccity between question and answer.

Key words: debate, speech communication, ideal model, structure, rule