Our debate team has incredible technical skills but we've become so focused on winning arguments that we've lost sight of truth-seeking, and now half the team wants to quit because they feel like we're just learning to manipulate rather than genuinely engage with ideas. The coach keeps pushing competitive success but some of us are questioning whether this kind of argumentation is actually making us worse thinkers.
More people experience this than they realize.
A group trained in argumentation faces the tension between competitive success and genuine intellectual inquiry.
“Where Are You with Logic and argumentation traditions?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.