How would we know an argument when we saw one?

That is a tricky question because we don’t actually “see” arguments. They are embedded in conversation, speeches, writings, nonverbal expressions – in the interactions we have when we try to influence other people and to justify the claims we make on their belief or action. In fact, they are what people produce during these interactions. They are sets of statements arranged in the proper relationship to each other. But compared with what is actually said or written, they may need to be reworded, divided or combined, and maybe even made explicit rather than assumed.