Chaïm Perelman

Chaïm Perelman (born Henio Perelman; 20 May 1912 – 22 January 1984) was a Belgian philosopher of Polish-Jewish origin and a prominent argumentation theorist of the 20th century. Born in Warsaw, his family emigrated to Antwerp, Belgium, in 1925. Perelman studied law and philosophy at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, where he spent most of his career. His early work in law and philosophy was influenced by logical positivism, but a study of justice led him to reject it, finding its conclusions untenable as it denied rational foundations for value judgments. This led him to explore philosophies that could provide a rationale for such judgments. In 1948, he began collaborating with Lucie Olbrechts-Tyteca, culminating in their seminal work, 'Traité de l'argumentation – la nouvelle rhétorique' (1958), translated as 'The New Rhetoric: A Treatise on Argumentation.' This work established ancient rhetoric as a foundation for a logic of value judgments, analyzing arguments based on audience adherence and values. Perelman's philosophy, termed 'regressive philosophy,' sought to avoid the absolutes of positivism and relativism, incorporating socially constructed truths and remaining amenable to change. He also made significant contributions to legal philosophy and directed the National Center for Research in Logic in Brussels. Perelman received the Francqui Prize in 1962 and was appointed to the baronage in 1983. He died in Brussels in 1984.