The Art of Argumentation

For many today, “argumentation” is a bad word. It carries with it unsavory connotations, for instance, that the one who engages in argument is “not nice.” And this is seen as the greatest evil of our age, this lack of niceness. In a pluralistic society, why stand up for what you know to be true, when it’s much “nicer” simply to remain silent, to treat all opinions as though they were equal in veracity? After all, we wouldn’t want to offend, would we?

This is a pernicious error (one among many), unsettling in its subtlety. For error always contains some iota of truth, or some relation to it; otherwise, no person would be so foolish as to accept it. The truth in the mentality is this: other persons are to be treated with dignity, with the charity worthy of creatures made in the image of God. When debating another person, therefore, ad hominem attacks should be avoided, gentleness and respect should be employed, and civility should be maintained. However, charity does not entail remaining silent in the face of error, accepting falsity in the place of truth. It in fact requires that we bear witness to the truth. For that which is true is that which corresponds to reality. Unless we are madmen, therefore, living in another world, we seek the truth, and abhor falsity. This is a reality of which we are all a part; and so each and every person must conform themselves to it. To allow someone to live in a distorted reality is not good, but absolutely evil.

Argumentation requires two things: desire for the truth, no matter the cost, and love for persons, that is, a desire for their good, which must necessarily include the acquisition of truth. It must be, therefore, that those who refuse ever to argue or debate with other persons have either a distorted conception of truth and knowledge, or a distorted conception of love and what it is to will the good of another. If I engage in an informal debate with a friend, it doesn’t entail meanness or insensitivity on my part. Rather, it means that I take my opponent seriously, as a fellow seeker of truth, that I respect the arguments he sets forth, even if in the final evaluation I find them wanting.

With all this said, let us rediscover the art of argumentation. This means not only learning the rules of logic (for example, what constitutes a valid argument), but also the rules of persuasion, for the most reasonable person in the world can appear foolish if he presents his arguments poorly and without conviction. It is an art that requires developing habits of mind; it requires also a tempering of the passions so that truth will shine forth unimpeded. This is much needed in a world that has become so illogical, so hostile to the truth. It is no surprise that a world so enveloped in the darkness of error is hostile to the light, for truth can be unsettling and uncomfortable.

All this may give the impression that I’m a pessimist. I don’t think that’s the case. On the one hand, I’m not unaware of the evils that mankind commits daily; I myself am not immune. However, when I see someone seeking the truth with an open mind and a willing heart, I regain hope. For by our very nature we are seekers of truth and lovers of the good, despite our fallen state. It is up to us, therefore, aided by God’s grace, to pursue truth and goodness always, and to lead others along the way. Argumentation, debate, honest discussion about the most important questions: these have the power to bring others to the splendor of truth, and to confirm and strengthen us in the same.