Takes Two to Quarrel, But One to End It.

Takes Two to Quarrel, But One to End It

When moving head first into an argument, many people seem to only focus on winning and proving that their stance is correct. Although it is nice to “win” an argument, only focusing on that aspect tends to cloud our judgement and reasoning. In order to end any conflict in a more effective way we have to actively use the tools that allow us to have reasonable arguments. 

In Gary Hatch’s “Arguing in Communities”, he highlights the most important aspects of crafting reasonable arguments. He first explains that misunderstandings and difference of opinion stems from language barriers and people’s diverse experiences. So, in order to resolve our differences, we must learn to negotiate them. In any argument it’s easy to want to ignore the other side’s point of view, however, willing to live with other’s opinions will eventually lead to greater clarity in where our differences lay. This is key to understanding that sometimes arguments do not have to end in one side winning and sometimes it is better to agree to disagree. 

In the event that you cannot agree to disagree, the first step in crafting a reasonable argument is to be open to discussing all opinions. Hatch states that in academic communities, most scholars “welcome open discussion and scrutiny of their views”. This means not immediately rejecting other people’s views in an effort to support our own argument, and being open to a diverse group of opinions. In his process for arguing in communities, Hatch lists procedures to take when forming your stance on an argument. This includes recognizing the conversation surrounding your issue, evaluating various arguments already being made, and discovering ways you can contribute to the conversation. However, in order to craft your side to an argument you must also analyze the issue in a way that will support a strong response in your argument. 

The book “arguing in communities” by Gary Hatch describes how different experiences, misunderstandings, and difference of opinion divide communities. We can either learn to live with differences, or take necessary steps to carefully craft a reasonable argument.