This accessible book examines the philosophical foundations of Chaim Perelman''s rhetorical theory. In addition to offering a brief biography, it explores Perelman''s deep philosophical commitments and his concern for the ways in which the details of actual texts realize those commitments. The authors show that Perelman still reigns supreme when it comes to the elucidation of actual texts. His is a micro-analysis of arguments, one that is endlessly suggestive of ways of analyzing texts at the level of the word and phrase, the arrangement of parts, and the structure of arguments.