STRENGTH

The words strength or force are used with three different meanings:

— Argument from or by force, argument from strength, see threat -promise
— Force or strength of circumstances, see weight of circumstances
— Force or strength of an argument, this entry

The graded concept of strength of an argument contrasts with the binary notion of valid or invalid argumentation. An argument is strong (or weak) either by itself or in relation to another argument.
This strength is evaluated according to several criteria.

Strength as validity
In a scientific field, to be strong an argument must first of all be valid. That is, it must be developed according to a method that is accepted in this field.
However, an argument can be valid and not so strong, but really relevant and interesting for the discussion of this or that hypothesis.

In philosophy
From a philosophical point of view, one might consider that some argument schemes are inherently stronger than others. The strength of an argument is thus determined on the basis of ontology. An adept of moral realism will think that an argument based on the nature and definition of things is stronger than a pragmatic argument; a practical mind will think the opposite.
The New Rhetoric defines the strength of the argument according to the quality and universality of the audiences that accept it, see persuade – convince.

Strength as effectiveness
With respect to a goal such as persuasion, the strongest argument will be the most efficient, the argument that most quickly achieves the arguer’s goal, whether it is selling a product or electing a president. A degree of strength can be assigned to an argument based on a study on the target audience, see persuasion.

Subjective attribution of strength
In linguistic, wo arguments that lead to the same conclusion belong to the same argumentative class. Both provide some support for that conclusion; they share the same orientation. Within the same argumentative class, the strength of an argument may be determined by some objective gradation, such as the temperature scale, or it may simply be assigned to the argument by the speaker, who values such an argument over another. This hierarchization is marked by the means of argumentative morphemes (e.g., even) and realizing or de-realizing modifiers.
The resulting arrangements of the arguments on an argumentative scale are governed by the laws of discourse.