ABSTRACT
Reasoning can be understood as the private mental act of accepting or rejecting a conclusion based on reasons supporting or attacking this conclusion. For instance, Paul hesitates between going to the Japanese restaurant and to the Mexican restaurant, but then he remembers that he’s a bit hard up at the moment, and that the Japanese restaurant is more expensive; then he has a reason to pick the Mexican place. Argumentation, which involves reasoning, is a public act of using reasons to convince others and to evaluate others’ reasons to decide whether one ought to be convinced. Knowing that Lara is also on a budget, Paul could use the same reason to convince her that Mexican is the best option, and she could evaluate this reason to make sure it is sound.
