So, the question is, "How does one demonstrate his or her beliefs in an opinion?" There are several ways to do this:
Writing about your beliefs
Arguing about your beliefs
Living your beliefs
"Speeching" about your beliefs
And the list goes on.....
According to the web dictionary, a belief is any cognitive content held as true. And based on these convictions there is typically a form of action, usually it shapes the way you live, and if you feel strongly enough about it you will progress to convince other people to your stand point. Typically, this is done through an argument.
There are two prominent questions to keep in mind here.
1) What is worth arguing about?
2) What is the goal of an argument?
If I were to ask my younger siblings these questions, they would most likely say:
1) Argue when you need to get your way
2) The goal of the argument is to win
They're actually pretty cute, but most of us (I hope) know that there is a lot more to it than that! I feel like something is worth arguing about when there may be a negative consequence if I do not argue. These things could range all the way from an argument about a clashing outfit to an argument about the war in Iraq. Some consequences are so small that they can be overlooked and ignored (like the clashing outfit) whereas other arguments will merit a full debate team, jury, and judge.
For me, if something clashes with my convictions that I think will have regrettable effects, I speak up against that something. If I'm concerned or unsure about something, I voice my concerns, but i don't necessarily argue. It's more like I'm trying to have my questions answered..and then I might argue...
In any argument it's a very foolish thing to argue just to be right, there needs to be something more substantial involved. I may think a shirt is purple while my friend says it's dark blue, so what? The shirt being blue or purple won't affect anything else.
An argument's goal should be to find a solution for a conflict, one that is just and right.
But then, what is just? What is right? More importantly, what is truth?
What does the book Writing Arguments tell us about the concept of truth?
I'll give the best summary I can of what the section said:
Back in the day there were the Sophists and then there was Socrates. The Sophists basically argued to be right, they argued for whoever was in power. Socrates believed that...truth could be discovered through philosophic inquiry. He believed that truth resided in the ideal world of forms, and through philosophic rigor humans could transcend the changing, shadow like world of everyday reality to perceive the world of universals where Truth, Beauty, and Goodness resided.
The book says... "Truth seeking mean taking responsibility for determining the "best answer" or "best solution" to the question for the good of the whole community when taking into consideration the interests of all stakeholders."
It's very late for me right now, and the subject of truth is incredibly deep and profound. Tomorrow I will expound on my personal beliefs on it a little more....until then...
Writing about your beliefs
Arguing about your beliefs
Living your beliefs
"Speeching" about your beliefs
And the list goes on.....
According to the web dictionary, a belief is any cognitive content held as true. And based on these convictions there is typically a form of action, usually it shapes the way you live, and if you feel strongly enough about it you will progress to convince other people to your stand point. Typically, this is done through an argument.
There are two prominent questions to keep in mind here.
1) What is worth arguing about?
2) What is the goal of an argument?
If I were to ask my younger siblings these questions, they would most likely say:
1) Argue when you need to get your way
2) The goal of the argument is to win
They're actually pretty cute, but most of us (I hope) know that there is a lot more to it than that! I feel like something is worth arguing about when there may be a negative consequence if I do not argue. These things could range all the way from an argument about a clashing outfit to an argument about the war in Iraq. Some consequences are so small that they can be overlooked and ignored (like the clashing outfit) whereas other arguments will merit a full debate team, jury, and judge.
For me, if something clashes with my convictions that I think will have regrettable effects, I speak up against that something. If I'm concerned or unsure about something, I voice my concerns, but i don't necessarily argue. It's more like I'm trying to have my questions answered..and then I might argue...
In any argument it's a very foolish thing to argue just to be right, there needs to be something more substantial involved. I may think a shirt is purple while my friend says it's dark blue, so what? The shirt being blue or purple won't affect anything else.
An argument's goal should be to find a solution for a conflict, one that is just and right.
But then, what is just? What is right? More importantly, what is truth?
What does the book Writing Arguments tell us about the concept of truth?
I'll give the best summary I can of what the section said:
Back in the day there were the Sophists and then there was Socrates. The Sophists basically argued to be right, they argued for whoever was in power. Socrates believed that...truth could be discovered through philosophic inquiry. He believed that truth resided in the ideal world of forms, and through philosophic rigor humans could transcend the changing, shadow like world of everyday reality to perceive the world of universals where Truth, Beauty, and Goodness resided.
The book says... "Truth seeking mean taking responsibility for determining the "best answer" or "best solution" to the question for the good of the whole community when taking into consideration the interests of all stakeholders."
It's very late for me right now, and the subject of truth is incredibly deep and profound. Tomorrow I will expound on my personal beliefs on it a little more....until then...
No comments:
Post a Comment