The issue with the word argument is that it has a negative perception. The real meaning is that the word means “an exchange of diverging or opposite views “. Philosophical inquiry means that one has to argue different points of view within. This is a longer discussion better for another day.
The thing I want to get at is the normal usage and normal situations of an argument.
I can bet (if I were a betting man and would win) that most people consider arguing and arguments as a way to impose a point of view. Debates if well conducted and well articulated generally tend to validate this. The people in the debate generally use negative constructs to try and dismantle the opposite point of view - things like “ no, but” or “I differ” etc ... doesn’t help at all in winning the argument on the contrary it re-enforces the opinion that is held by the opposing view. The way to get things across is to argue with empathy I.e use a positive construct e.g “I understand, however “ is far better than “no,but”. This simple change diffuses the argument that is bing presented by your opponent.
So simple , but lost to people in general. One could read this post as being negative in nature because of the choice of words and believe me I understand. It is so easy to fall into the trap of the negative construct. Just far too easy. I remember a few debates from school and one argument presented by a debater stands out for 2 reasons- 1st the empathy in the speech and 2nd the speaker’s languid nature of speaking. He was the best speaker in my opinion that day but was not part of the formal 2 vs 2 debate . Back to my post - arguments are what help us understand different points of view . The different points of view is what enriches our life’s and help us gain experience.
Learning to argue well without the discourse breaking down into a slugfest is what is important- this is the difference between “worldly wise” and being “rash” . No amount of yelling or screaming will make a difference ; all that does is send the discussion into a slugfest. I miss the good arguments that used to happen on TV and am worried that kids will learn only the yelling and screaming given the mess on tv today.
I hope I made a good argument ☺️
As always feedback appreciated
C
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