1705132712 思辨精英：英语辩论-构筑全球视角 [:1705132286]

1705132713 思辨精英：英语辩论-构筑全球视角 Chapter 1Debate as a Valuable Social Process and a Unique Educational Tool

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1705132715 Robert Trapp and He Jing

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1705132717 Chapter Outline

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1705132719 1.1 Why Study Debate?

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1705132721 1.2 An Historical Look at Argumentation and Debate in China and the United States

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1705132723 1.3 Contemporary Developments in Argumentation, Debate, and Persuasion

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1705132725 1.4 Developments in Educational Debate

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1705132727 1.5 From Educational Debate to Generative Debate

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1705132729 1.6 Summary

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1705132731 1.7 Terms and Concepts from Chapter 1

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1705132733 1.8 Discussion Questions for Chapter 1

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1705132735 思辨精英：英语辩论-构筑全球视角 [:1705132287]

1705132736 1.1 Why Study Debate?

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1705132738 Societies grow, flourish, decay or disappear as the result of decisions and actions taken or not taken by their members. Leaders who persuade, community members who influence others, and individuals who introduce new ideas all contribute to the directions their societies take. Because individuals live in societies, differences among those individuals inevitably will cause disagreement among societal members. As a consequence, societies invent rules about how to settle disputes and about what arguments are deemed most effective during that process.

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1705132740 Some rules are formally codified with strict regulations, such as procedures used in court systems, government legislations, or legal hearings. Skilled, ethical debaters can use those venues to promote healthier societies; poor or unethical debaters can contribute to the erosion of social bonds and the fracture of societies. Because of this central role of persuasion in societies and because of the need for excellent debaters to engage these formal social procedures, the study of debate is vital to all individuals and also to the civilizations in which they live. Studying debate by enacting simulations of justice systems and courtroom protocols constitutes the practice of educational debate, which trains participants for these essential social roles.

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1705132742 Contributing to society also is a reason to study debate. Debate trains students to contribute to their societies by creating cogent, formal arguments presented in public settings. While educational debate does not usually deal with informal situations, many experienced debaters learn to distinguish key features about the practice of debate, features beneficial to informal settings. Studying debate, then, benefits society both in formal, public arenas as well as in informal, personal ones.

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1705132744 Debating features argument, so learning to understand the nature of argument is yet another reason to study debate. As it is used in everyday talk, the word “argument” may prompt readers to think of raised voices and uncomfortable feelings—“I had an argument with my friend” or “My office mate and I have been arguing all day.” In these cases, when people refer to arguments, they often mean heated exchanges where speakers act at odds with one another.

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1705132746 In this textbook, however, a different meaning for argument is used. The study of argument is the study of one of many means people use to influence or persuade one another. If a person says, “The sun is shining and the birds are singing! This is certainly a great day,” he or she has created an argument. The claim in the argument is that the day is “certainly a great” one. The evidence presented concerns the sun and birds. A listener might agree or disagree with this person’s argument. Viewed from this perspective, argument occurs in nearly every message sent between individuals.

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1705132748 Social rules govern these arguments. In both formal and informal instances, social rules apply not only to the way a person acts while presenting an argument, but also to the structure of the argument itself. These social rules indicate to both arguers how to critique the argument including such issues as credibility, sufficiency, or believability.

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1705132750 Thinking about argument in these ways rather than merely as a heated spat more clearly identifies why learning to debate ethically and skillfully is so critical to a society. How effectively a person uses the tools of argument can determine whether or not the argument is seen as having merit: “The argument was not believable because the criminal took the position that everyone has a right to steal anything they desire” or “You bring up a good argument regarding the cost of this project, one that had not occurred to me” or “The argument did not persuade me because no evidence was provided.” This way of understanding “argument” sets up the possibility for debaters to learn and then practice principles for selecting excellent argument and debate tools, using those tools well to develop appropriate debate techniques, and improving their abilities to successfully persuade others.

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1705132752 Studying debate also means learning to use these principles of argument, principles designed to engage the integrity of the idea and also to persuade the listener. The study of debate prepares students to examine an argument not with the intent to recall who said what to whom or to cast blame on another’s character, but with the intent of locating the key points of dispute on both sides of any question and then devising good arguments from that information. This skill prepares students to engage the inevitable disputes that arise in a society.

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1705132754 Another reason to study debate is to learn to differentiate between 1) arguing simply to win and 2) arguing to gain understanding of a complex conflict toward influencing others to that understanding. Debating with good arguments does not mean both parties will end in agreement regarding the dispute. During the debate or after a decision has been made, disputants using good arguments may still disagree in significant measure with each other’s positions about the question or about the final decision. However, if their debate was an excellent one, it will have spelled out important issues for each side, points of agreement and disagreement between parties, and other relevant information. Clarifying problems that separate disputants allows this process to highlight important clashes within the issues rather than muddling around in issues of misunderstanding. If the two parties clarify their positions in the debate, propose policies or explanations, and argue their positions without reaching an agreement, they may engage the service of an adjudicator, a third party who will render a decision.

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1705132756 So even if agreement is not reached after arguments were traded between two disputants, debate reaps benefits. The debate may illuminate new ideas about how to move forward. These key features—the explication of each disputant’s position and the generation of new information for each side to consider—constitute one of the greatest values of debate and one of the most important reasons to study debate. Those key features contained in the arguments chosen by the disputants provide all parties with the essential information needed to form an immediate decision and also to find alternative decisions if necessary.

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1705132758 The study of argument does not mean ensuring agreement during disputes nor does it mean an excellent debater enters the dispute to “beat an opponent.” Authors of this textbook believe that rather than debating for the singular purpose of besting an opponent, excellent students learn to debate well for the purpose of comprehensively persuading listeners to their well reasoned side of an argument toward the goal of generating and arguing for the most excellent ways to manage difficult disputes. This textbook promotes the position that individuals pursue the study of argument to become more effective citizens; to forward a collective good; to learn to persuade ethically; and to learn useful, effective ways to enhance the decision-making process during a dispute.

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1705132760 Educational debate uses an adjudicator and deals primarily with the more formal argument settings, so one last reason to study debate is to widen students’ knowledge of world affairs. Educational debate usually focuses on large, social problems such as water rights, environmental abuse, government policies and the like. Deciding whether to construct a new school or increase taxes or change a policy dealing with waste products all require scrutiny of the problem for good arguments on both sides of the question. Students studying debate learn how best to structure arguments for and against various issues and also learn the nature of arguments used by various cultures in various settings.

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