Relevance, Conduction and Canada's Rape-Shield Decision

Authors

  • Derek Allen

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22329/il.v15i2.2477

Keywords:

Canadian Supreme Court decision, Canada's 1982 rape-shield legislation, informal logic class, relevance, conductive argument, "argument from 'unchasteness"', George Bowles's theory of propositional relevance, Trudy Govier's account of a conductive argument.

Abstract

I examine a Canadian Supreme Court decision concerning the constitutionality of Canada's 1982 rape-shield legislation, and suggest how material from the decision might profitably be used in an informal-logic class in connection with the topics of relevance and conductive argument. I also consider theoretical matters related to the decision: first I develop two analyses of what I call an argument from 'unchasteness' and connect them to George Bowles's theory of propositional relevance; then I present Trudy Govier with a problem in response to which she might revise her account of a conductive argument in a way I describe.

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Published

1993-01-01

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 2 (1993)

Section

Articles

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