When orientation is lost, a research project may be carried out in order to bridge the orientation gap. This leads to a "thetic construction"—that is, an aggregation of a thesis, supported by arguments. The aim of argumentation is to investigate the suitability of a thesis to function as "new orientation." As an illustration for the arguments surrounding a thetic construction, Christopher Columbus' plea for the existence of a Western passage to India is presented and discussed. Since one always has to be aware of possible objections to the elements of a thetic construction, argumentation should be taken as essentially dialogical.