The Value of Good Argument

What is the value of good argument?

1. Argument sharpens one's critical skills
2. Argument forces one to sharpen his ideas
3. Argument teaches communication skills
4. Argument forces debate into the public realm
5. Argument emphasizes that truth is not relative

1. To argue is to learn how to find inconsistencies in ideas. The more I try to defend an idea; the more I try to subdue someone else's idea; the more I come up against the laws of reason. I learn the habit of catching myself or others in contradictions, or in hasty assumptions that need to be explored. I learn how to use logical methods that help me get from premises to a conclusion. I'm convinced that this has less to do with taking a philosophy class and much more to do with actually doing the debating; putting my ideas out front where they can be challenged.

2. This point is related to the first. When someone challenges an idea of mine that I have put forth, I am not forced to abandon it if they show me some inconsistency. Instead, I am forced to think it through more critically and the more I do so the better I become at doing it and the less likely I am to make the same mistake a second time. I want my children well versed in how to evaluate their own thoughts and ideas as well that of others, which they come across in movies, music, peers, and the university.

3. Communication skills are important because they allow me to communicate my ideas clearly and intelligably. If I cannot convey an idea, I cannot argue it. Therefore I must learn to say what I mean. Most people think that they could communicate their ideas if they had to until they have to. Once we see that we had a hard go at communicating an idea, we are forced to sit down and clearly find the words to express it. The more I do this, the better I become at doing it and the more intelligably I speak about issues in every facet of life (like teaching or instructing my children).

4. The public realm is important because that is where our legislation is formed and where culture is affected. Truth is not for the private sector. Public debate allows the society itself to views ideas critically rather than having them infused into their brains through CNN.

5. We are being taught (our children are being taught) that dogma is a no no and that no one should think they are right about anything. But if we are all wrong, then so are those who tell us that we are all wrong. Instead, we must reaffirm our belief that truth is not an opinion but a facet of reality.