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By Calum Matheson
Everyone in America should have instruction in the basic tenets of argument. This begins with recognizing the standards of strong factual evidence, prioritizing debate in our educational systems, and forming the tenets of good argument skills in everyday life.
Calum Matheson
The United States is a divided country. As the recent election demonstrated, the traditional oppositions of "left" and "right," Democrat and Republican, conservative and progressive are breaking down.
While the theatrical clash between Clinton and Trump most recently grabbed the headlines, the primaries exposed bitter divisions within the two major parties. These disagreements are worrisome because they are largely a matter not of different values, but different facts.
The sheer volume of information today makes it hard to separate truth from fiction. Statistics have the ring of truth, but are easily manipulated to support shaky conclusions.
We are bombarded with fake news and biased websites--what we used to call "propaganda."
For democracy to prevail, we need to learn to learn the hard work of making good conclusions with good information. Instruction in the basics of argument can help us recognize such dangers and should be welcomed by anyone, regardless of their political beliefs.
Debate is supposed to allow good arguments to triumph over bad ones; truth to persevere against falsehood.
But rigorously filtering out deception and bias is difficult, time-consuming, and sometimes downright boring. Many of us tend to seek out information to confirm what we already believe rather than forming our opinions after balanced investigation.
This is a breeding ground for sloppy thinking and outright manipulation. While we may never agree on "what the facts are," we need a basic agreement on what a fact is.
Democracy requires an electorate capable of making informed, logical decisions over matters of local, state, and national policy, and that means knowing the difference between assertion and evidence, logic and fallacy.
The marketplace of ideas only works when we use a common currency.
Practical steps to support a culture of healthy argument include making argument classes options for general education requirements, as they already are at some fine institutions including the University of Pittsburgh.
Defending our ideas forces us to recognize the shortcomings in our own beliefs. Encouraging students to play Devil's advocate develops empathy and might even lead them to reevaluate their own positions.
Healthy competition can motivate students through active learning across the curriculum. Competitive debate teams provide the most challenging and rewarding intellectual opportunities available in high school and college and let students from different backgrounds and regions exchange ideas.
Unfortunately, funding for debate programs has dwindled over the years. Reversing that trend would help strengthen academic achievement while bolstering the essential qualities necessary for good democratic policymaking.
For a fraction of the money spent on other competitive activities, we can teach students how to succeed professionally and give them the skills necessary for good citizenship.
Good argument skills make for better lives. Almost everything we do requires persuasion. When we write school essays, ask for raises, or fight a parking ticket, we are making arguments.
Deliberation requires judgment, allowing us to make reasoned choices about everything from buying a home to picking a restaurant. The capacity to make and judge good argument is a basic currency of social interaction and clear thought.
Quite simply, learning how to argue makes us smarter.
Calum Matheson is the director of the William Pitt Debating Union at the University of Pittsburgh and an assistant professor of public deliberation and civic life.