A Systematic Theory of Argumentation gives an overview of the pragma-dialectical approach to argumentative discourse that Rob Grootendorst and I [Frans H. van Eemeren] jointly developed over the past thirty years. It provides a sketch of our contribution to the study of argumentation by describing our approach to a number of issues that are crucial to the development of a comprehensive theory of argumentation. In the process, insights that we have achieved are explained. This book – our latest and last one – serves as a final report of our work together. Rob's early death in 2000 put an untimely end to our great collaboration.

Rob and I co-authored a variety of studies, textbooks, and more-popular books about argumentation in Dutch. Most of our theoretical work was also published in English, but our scholarly contributions are scattered over a great number of articles and other publications. That is why we thought it useful to give a general overview of our ideas. A Systematic Theory of Argumentation is aimed at making the main thrust of our views about argumentation more easily accessible to our fellow students of argumentation. The book, which is dedicated to Jet Greebe, Rob's widow, is meant to be a modest monument to Rob. I hope that it will help us all to commemorate Rob as the inspired argumentation scholar he always was.