"What do we mean by “winning”? If the objective is to achieve some quick result—to induce a particular action, or even simply rouse an immediate...
Winning an Argument vs. Truth
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Debate
Correcting Argument Mistakes
"While mistakes ought to be admitted as promptly and economically as possible, care ought to be taken to fill the resulting hole in the line of...
Principle of Defensible Arguments
"The competent arguer won't adopt a position in the first place unless he is absolutely sure it is defensible." Source: How to Win Arguments (1981)...
Nixon’s Two-Sidedness
"The discussion lasted an astonishing three hours and ended … only because both Buckley and I had other appointments. I remember being particularly...
Role of Rhetorical Devices
"Rhetorical devices are nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary, they are indispensable tools serving … to enhance and enrich the plodding words...
Arguments from Consequence vs. Analogy
"The argument from consequences … tends on the whole to be somewhat weaker than the argument from analogy … precisely because it lacks the...
Hidden Motives in Arguing
"People often have other reasons for arguing: unacknowledged or even unconscious reasons that have little or nothing to do with “prevailing” or...
How to Admit Mistakes
"No matter how competent an arguer may be, the time will inevitably come when he makes a mistake … Back away, quickly and completely. Do it...
Limitations of Logic in Debate
"It is a rather pathetic thing to see a man of Nixon's stature … so tangled up in the complexities of his cork-screw course toward the Presidency...
Value of Overstatement
"It will often be desirable to understate one's point slightly, provided it is clear to the audience that it is being understated and the audience...
Intellectual Discomfort and Thinking
"I recently read … a little homily to the effect that, if a person makes us think we're thinking, we love him; but if he makes us think, we hate...
Accusing Opponents on TV
"I'll make a little date with you, Mr. Sorensen … we'll come back on this program and hear where and when National Review advocated racism, and...