The TED Talk I chose to listen to is "For Argument's Sake by Daniel H. Cohen. In Daniel H. Cohen's TED Talk, he talks about human nature's tendency to have arguments. People argue about every little thing in their lives. They argue about simple things like who is taking out the trash today. Other arguments are more complex, such as political debates. Cohen talks about the possible reasons why we argue so much. He believes that arguing is a way for people to say what they believe in. With that in mind, he also believes that it is a way to change someone else's personal beliefs. This is why he refers to arguing as a "war." People are so focused on winning the argument that they are willing to say anything; which sometimes could go too far.
I disagree that arguments should be about changing someone's personal beliefs. I believe that arguments should be about hearing both sides of an issue. You can't just agree with on exact point. There are pros and cons of each side of an argument. The issue here is that no one actually argues rationally. For example, most political debates nowadays are filled with arguments that just get out of hand. They add things into their arguments that aren't even relevant to the topic. These are the arguments that corrupt our country. Why do you think people argue so dramatically? Do you agree with Cohen's beliefs? Are these war-like arguments going to get us anywhere?
-Shannon Rodriguez
It's true that an argument shouldn't be for the sake of changing someone's personal beliefs. Arguments should be for the sake of understanding both sides of the idea, and then seeing what is more purposeful. However, over time the purpose of arguments has changed. Now it is to determine to see who is ultimately correct and to win the argument instead of sharing ideas and making the best possible decision from it. People add more to the arguments because they see it as a form of entertainment. Everybody is so focused on different issues and want to point out every bad thing to talk about. There are more important issues that require more immediate attention like preserving the environment. We tend to judge people based on their history and make decisions off of that instead of seeing what choices would be better for society and others. Sure there are very informative and great arguments out there, but nowadays it's more for entertainment.
ReplyDelete-Jirote Jiyacharoen
While I agree with the statement that all arguments aren't necessarily supposed to be about persuading someone to agree with your viewpoint, argument and persuasion are closely related. I also agree that arguments should primarily be focused on hearing both sides of the issue. I believe that people argue with so much energy because the issues they argue over are those that they truly care about and seek to defend their position on. I can agree with Cohen's statements, as arguments are a method of aggressively asserting the validity of your opinion. I do think that "war like" arguments can get people somewhere as long as there is a general consensus at the end of the "war." If there is no consensus at the end of the "war" then it truly won't get anywhere, and would ultimately a waste of time.
ReplyDelete-Jacob Ruvalcaba
I agree that arguing today has completely lost its true purpose, which is understanding both sides of the issue. Arguing today has devolved into a "war" in which both sides are just attacking each other, rather than seeking a resolution. Without hearing and understanding both sides of the argument, there is no gain or victory from it.
ReplyDelete- Cynthia Thach
Arguments are intended to give both sides a chance to state their positions on the issue. Not only we view the standpoint of another person based on their character, but we tend to seek to win the argument and to give others good reasons to believe that what they are asserting is completely valid rather than false information. Every argument should be developed in a clear and logical manner, and if not, there has to be something wrong with the value of the proposition.
ReplyDelete