I've noticed that there are some folks who will debate anything and everything, even if they agree with what you've said. Maybe you've seen them around, too?
What I can't figure out, is whether they are really just arguing for the sake of arguing, and don't care if they agree with the original statement or not - or if they're so busy getting their argument ready that they don't even realize they agree with the original statement. I tend to think there's probably a little of both going on.
There are, of course, those who habitually play devils' advocate, arguing both sides of the coin no matter what their own personal opinion is. There's a place for this in discussions of complex issues. It can be beneficial to set aside ones' own biases and thoroughly explore the arguments on each side of the matter before reaching a conclusion. But a lot of what I've seen lately on Xanga goes far beyond this exercise in objectivity.
I have literally seen debates, if you can call them that, in which both sides are arguing the same point - and yet, neither side seems to realize it. It's as if someone said, "the sky is blue," and the other responds, "no it's not, it's light blue over there and dark blue over there and it has white clouds in it."
I don't know what's worse. The fact that some people will argue about anything - and nothing - just for the sake of arguing, or the fact that people often fail to realize this is what is happening and engage in long-winded debates on the subject. I cannot figure out why anyone would want to spend so much energy arguing a point with someone who already clearly agrees with them.
Conversations are two-way streets. One person expresses a thought, and the other responds to the thought. Yet, too often it seems, we're not doing that anymore. Instead, one person expresses a thought, and then the other expresses a thought, but there is no actual interaction between the two. Perhaps it is a sign of our times. Have we lost the ability to hold discussions?
Surely I'm not the only one who has noticed this phenomenon.
Have you ever known someone who would argue, for the sake of arguing? Why do you think people do this
Comments (10)
I have noticed this as well. I am not sure why this is. I think there are some who just like to argue and it doesn't matter what it is they will just argue. Online is a easy place for those people to do this.
It does sometimes get issues discussed.
I like to play devil's advocate because the way I see it, someone can always change my mind on any particular issue. You never know when someone might have a point of view you've never thought about before. I don't see the point of a discussion where you're both on the same side, though.
I play devil's advocate on occassion, but arguing for the sake of argument can be really annoying. I think that people sometimes feel a need to respond to someone else's comment (even if they are in basic agreement) just so they can have they last word.
I enjoy debating as long as it remains civil and the other person remains involved. During the debate, we both do research and learn new things. If the other person wants to quit at any time, even if the conversation isn't over, it's a free country.
I suppose I may be guilty of this. I prefer to think of my conversations as discussions rather than arguments, but in any case, I will often present coutnerpoints or ask for clarification on what may seem trivial matters. Sometimes this turns into a full blown debate.
With regards to debating something agreed on, most of the times I have done this, it has been due to an ambiguity in the argument or a portion of the argument I disagreed with. Many times, I end up discovering we agreed all along, but in the process got some clarification and had some interesting conversation, so nothing lost.
In any case, I am of the opinion that indeed everything should be critically questioned, and as such, I rather enjoy debating just about anything. Even discussion of the most trivial things can lead to interesting new knowledge or exposure to other ideas.
I'm pretty sure that a majority of frequent bloggers are guilty of this - I know I certainly am.
The argument that confrontational discussion leads to clarification is probably not true - mostly it's people talking past each other and not even trying to understand the other viewpoint[s].
I suppose the basic question is what's the difference between discussion and argument?
@Dargon - Ditto
Everyday. I'm convinced it's further proof of the erosion of common sense
If you're honest, you'd reassess your impressions after reading the actual debate.