Mar 19 2009 Arguing is one of those things most people do but
few people do well. Many do not understand what a logical
argument even is or how to do it correctly. Yet arguing is an
essential skill of critical thinking. How we argue reflects how
we think, how we evaluate our own conclusions, and how we
challenge the beliefs of others. Even the very purpose of
arguing is often misunderstood. I have arguments almost every
day. This does not mean I verbally fight with others on a daily
basis, but rather I have discussions that involve either
attempting to convince another of a specific conclusion, or
resolving different conclusions on a factual matter. In most of
the arguments that I find myself the other person has staked out
a position and they defend it jealously, as if they were a high-
paid lawyer defending a client. This adversarial approach,
however, is not constructive. Rather, the parties of an argument
should be trying to find common ground, and then proceed
carefully from that common ground to resolve