Stephen Toulmin

Stephen Edelston Toulmin
Born	25 March 1922 London, England
Died	4 December 2009 (aged 87) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	King's College, Cambridge
Era	20th-century philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
School	Analytic
Main interests	Meta-philosophy, argumentation, ethics, rhetoric, modernity
Notable ideas	Toulmin model (Toulmin method) Good reasons approach

Stephen Edelston Toulmin (/ˈtuːlmɪn/; 25 March 1922 – 4 December 2009) was a British philosopher, author, and educator. Influenced by Ludwig Wittgenstein, Toulmin devoted his works to the analysis of moral reasoning. Throughout his writings, he sought to develop practical arguments which can be used effectively in evaluating the ethics behind moral issues. His works were later found useful in the field of rhetoric for analyzing rhetorical arguments. The Toulmin model of argumentation, a diagram containing six interrelated components used for analyzing arguments, and published in his 1958 book The Uses of Argument, was considered his most influential work, particularly in the field of rhetoric and communication, and in computer science.