Rethinking of Discourses on Dichotomy in Argumentation Education

with Conceptual Arrangement by N. Trubetzkoy’s Phonology

Abstract

Dichotomy is often criticized as it impairs diversity of opinions by preventing students from exploring third ways. In such discourses, however, hardly has been examined what the word “dichotomy” means there. This paper insists that the very critics saying ''dichotomy impairs diversity'' impair the diversity of dichotomies, depending on Trubetzkoy’s conceptual arrangement on three types of dichotomies. Then this paper suggests the guidelines for the effective use of the dichotomous scheme after making considerations on the relations between the types of dichotomies and the purposes of arguments.