A Smarter Way To Argue
You might be questioning how there is a smarter way to argue, even if there is a smarter way to argue. And I am here to tell you that there is. The main idea of arguing to prove the one person is right, and the other person is wrong, right? Wrong. Arguing was not designed to prove one party right and the other party wrong.
Arguing was designed to talk through things and have an open mind about them. Arguing was brought out to be the idea of people with different opinions, expressing those different opinions and everyone gathering new information from this argument. But do people argue this way? No. Most people argue to prove the others wrong, missing the whole idea of what arguments are supposed to be. In the article “Evaluating Arguments”, it states that “No one has a monopoly on knowledge, and no one is right all of the time.”(Pg 168). The fact that people argue like they know everything, and don’t care to stop for a second to breathe and try to understand where the other party is coming from is upsetting.
This image above shows two men arguing, about God knows what. Do you think this argument could turn violent? You may be wondering why it would turn violent. But who knows. Maybe they aren’t listening to each other, or saying rude things about each other's personal lives. The article, “Evaluating Arguments”, explains that most reasons why things turn violent is due to people not communicating and listening. “A lot of the conflict that results in violence, terrorism, and manipulation could often be avoided if people learned how to negotiate their differences.”(Pg. 166). So what do these two men have to do before this turns violent? Maybe calm down, sit down, and talk. Talk normally, no yelling or screaming, but still voice their opinions. Try to show the other person their perspective of things, and no, maybe they don’t agree. But what if they agreed to disagree? That would be a much better solution versus fighting and possibly having this argument turn violent.
The idea of our language is to talk and to be able to communicate. To be able to voice our opinions. Yes people may view your opinion wrong, but that is the beauty of the world we live in. No two people are the exact same, so no two people will have the same views on certain things. And arguing was meant to be something where it is okay to have different opinions, long as you can back it up with reasons and voice your opinion in a way that people will understand. Of course though, people don’t view things like that. Everyone has to be right with what they say. But the idea of this whole thing is to argue smarter. So again, you might be asking me, “Is there a smarter way to argue?”. Yes. And my answer to you is not to argue. Rather to debate, and voice your opinion. “When a community responds to questioning by allowing for debate and discussion in a spirit of good will, there may still be tension, but negotiating this tension will lead to new levels of understanding and ultimately strengthen the community.”(Pg. 170). And to me, this last quote is our ultimate goal. People don’t need to agree with every word you say, and you may not be right all the time, but if you can at least voice your opinion and have a discussion, I feel that is the most rewarding. So next time you feel an argument starting in your life, sit back and think, do I want to be right? Or do I want to start a conversation? And I promise things will go different. Until the next blog,
~Sarah
I agree that arguments should not end in proving one party wrong but rather use evidence and persuasion to work towards a mutual agreement. I like the way this is written and how you explained this.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of your points. Yelling, being disrespectful, etc. can limit --and potentially ruin-- an argument, leaving it unsatisfactory and not beneficial to either person or party.
ReplyDeleteOur perception of arguments have changed so drastically due to living in a divided, argumentative society. We think arguments have to include shouting, proving yourself, winning, but in reality is is supposed to be that debate. Listening to each other has become more important than ever to each this "unified" resolution. The right way to argue should increase community and connection.
ReplyDeleteWell said! Your introduction paragraph immediately made me interested to read, and the rest of your writing flowed together well! I like how you point out that you need to ask yourself if you want to be right or have a conversation when you find yourself in an argument, as it is impossible to have a productive argument without having an open-mind. Great job! -Maggie Middleton
ReplyDeleteI agree with how you wrote about how arguing is not meant to be disrespectful it is meant to persuade and work things out. Today people really dont understand how to have an educational argument and I think that your piece is very helpful in figuring that out.
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