Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Issue 325 Debate April 30, 2014

Argumentation and debate are skills that can keep the mind sharp and allow you to hold a well informed and informative conversation.  Here today I am going to explain why it is important to debate people and do it in a fun way.

Debate itself:  Some think debate is all about winning against your opponent and defeating them.  This is not always the case.  Debate itself is a discussion that follows a conversation while holding to a specific topic.  So you can be discussing economics, the final four in a sports contest or more and it can be considered a debate or even a form of argumentation.  In fact you are allowed to agree and disagree in a debate as it is nothing more than a form of discussion. Thus it can be fun and interesting and you will not even realize you are doing it.

It's important:  The reason it is important is due to how information is being transferred from one person to another.  When I was in political science class, they always said that things must be discussed so that the sea of lies will give way to the final truth.  In a debate the truth can arise from these forms of discussion.  As such this form of information transfer is essential to acquiring and advancing knowledge.  

Mind set:  For one, people just don't spontaneously want to have a discussion on world politics, sports and other serious topics.  Thus, some of these conversations are left for when the mood is good and proper. However you are never limited to serious topics.  People will always want to discuss the topics they are most interested in and usually they want to reply to any arguments you will make with their own.  As such being armed with actual facts and the ability to know how people came to those conclusions in the first place are key to continuing the debate and ascertaining the truth (this is part of the fun and can be enjoyable).  It is important to remember that in a debate there is usually no winners or losers as the two (or more) having the discussion are usually on their own without an audience.  So you should not try to win against your company, but dig deeper into their knowledge to gain more for yourself even if your side may in fact be wrong.  It is ok to be on the wrong side and it is ok to ask questions. A real debate is all about the gathering and sifting through knowledge.  This acquiring of knowledge is what makes debate and conversation satisfying and because of this any form of discussion can be exhilarating and satisfying.


Conclusion:  Debate is a good thing.  It gives us a window into other people’s thoughts, ideas and knowledge which can enhance our own.  So continue to have conversations on various topics for you have nothing to lose and only plenty to gain.  

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