The Mission
Argument is an intellectual process. Contradiction is just the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says."
"It is NOT!"
– Monty Python, the Argument Clinic
Arguing is very special to me. It's an art form. An artisan-level skill. Something to be honed, like any other skill, unto the point of perfection. Arguing, much like the above-quoted skit says, is an intellectual process. It's how we humans, as intelligent beings who communicate in concepts, decide our beliefs, run self-diagnostics on everything we know, and sway others to our side.
It's also a hell of a lot of fun.
To me, arguing is more than a debate or a fight. It's a martial art, with feints, and blocks, and powerful strikes designed to best your opponent. And, much like most martial arts, the true joy is not in the victory, but in the actual combat itself. And I like to think that I rank up there like some sort of Arguing Bruce Lee, taking on all comers to help me refine my techniques, but ultimately just enjoying the duels.
But I honestly believe that true arguing is something everyone can, and should, learn how to do. Arguing is vital to our experience as humans. It is a skill that allows us to prove that what we believe is valid. It forces us to question what we accept as fact. And it hones our ability to think logically — to analyze the data we've been given, and use it to underline our thought process. Arguing is a skill, and logic is our hands and feet — a living weapon to decimate the ignorant opponents.
As such, I feel it is my duty to instruct those willing to learn on how to argue properly, and become a proficient warrior. To master 'Argue Fu', as it were.
Yes, I'm totally copyrighting that.
Below, you will find each article added as I write it, outlining how I see every conceivable issue I can think of, and how it applies to the art of arguing. How to argue, how not to argue, things to avoid, things to be aware of, and how to fully be a master of Argue Fu, so no one will ever make you feel stupid again.
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