Argument

20 years ago, as participants at the National Train the Trainer Seminar of JCI India, S Kamal Kumar and me teamed up for a debate. One of us had to speak ‘for’ the topic and the other had to speak ‘against’ the premise. We were asked to argue on the topic - Non Vegetarian food is not good for human beings.

I asserted that our digestive system was meant for herbivorous intake. Besides, we did not possess the fangs and claws of carnivorous animals. Kamal Kumar argued that if we did not eat the sheep, their growing numbers would dislodge us from our homes. Hence for our survival we had to eat them and save our living space.

Our passionate arguments surprised everyone. Kamal Kumar was a vegan by belief while I enjoyed my fish and mutton delicacies. We were putting up arguments which were convincing but they did not reflect our actual beliefs and practices. We were debating not based on our perception but on the chosen conclusion.

An argument is a series of statements called the premises intended to determine the degree of truth of another statement, the conclusion. In today’s world, (especially on social media) we see violent debates because they employ a reverse process of declaring a conclusion and defending it with a closed mind.

Kamal and I treated the debate as a sport and worked together to bring up all pros and cons of the premise. While we seemed to disagree strongly, deep down we respected the choice and beliefs of each other. We were open-minded about the right of the other to differ even if we had strong convictions about our argument.

It is pertinent to note that the word ‘argument is derived from the Latin root ‘arguer’ which means to make bright and enlighten. Debates are wonderful exercises if they are done with an open mind. We may disagree but we should not become disagreeable. Our argument should be based on not just clarity but also scrutiny.

Arguments need more than conviction and clarity

Be open-minded and test the premise for scrutiny!

~ Pravin K Sabnis