The Importance of Being Wrong

Why do we argue with one another? What is the intention? How do we know when we have “won” or “lost” an argument? What happens then? In this chapter, we explore the functions and purposes of argument to reveal the deeper reasons we engage in this complex, frequently stressful, rhetorical activity and what we can gain by having an enhanced perspective on it. We will read some articles and watch a few videos that explore the science and logic of why we argue, and why being wrong is not something we should try to avoid at all costs or view as “losing.”

Clarification of ideas and meaningful collaboration are the highest pursuits of argumentative communication. Thus, when we are proven wrong, we are given the opportunity to learn, to grow, and to enhance our understanding of the complex and vibrant world we inhabit. We can also embrace the opportunities that arise when we allow ourselves to be distanced enough from our beliefs and opinions to create the necessary space for doubt, investigation, growth, and, eventually, increased knowledge and awareness. When we believe we are right about everything all of the time, we miss the opportunities to learn from one another and from each new perspective we encounter.

• View the video: For Argument’s Sake (Imperfect but useful transcript available here.)

• View the video: On Being Wrong (Imperfect but useful transcript available here.)

Both of these talks (above) address the dangers of being too close to our own ideas, values, opinions, and beliefs. They offer examples and insights that show what can go wrong when we would rather “feel” right than “be” right. They show us how we can get stuck in ego or fear-based approaches to conversation that turn constructive dialogue into a war to be won at all costs. We miss the opportunities to expand when we stay tied to closed ways of thinking. They also remind us of the importance of being humble, active, and engaged listeners.

Because people don’t always agree on what is right or reasonable, appropriately constructed argument can help us arrive at what is more fair or more true for more of us. The process is used to settle disputes and discover new truth. Instructors assign argumentative writing so students can learn to examine their own (and other’s) ideas in careful, engaged, and methodical ways. Argument teaches us how to evaluate conflicting claims and judge evidence through various methods of investigation. Argument helps us learn to clarify our thoughts and articulate them honestly and accurately and to consider the ideas of others in a respectful and critical manner. Often, we find more areas of agreement with the other than we first thought existed. Others times we find evidence that encourages us to change our minds in small, or not so small, ways. And still other times we find reliable, authoritative information that validates something we already thought or believed. The following articles addresses the scientific basis for what embracing being “wrong” can actually offer our individual and collective ways of knowing:

• Read the following article: The Key to Science (and Life) is Being Wrong (Word Version here)
• Read the following article: Intellectual Humility (PDF here)
• Consult the Web resource: Intellectual Humility

It may be surprising to think about the value of losing an argument. But it is even more shocking to learn that winning and losing, or the “argument as war” model, is only one of many possible motivations for engaging in a meaningful argument. There are several other important purposes for engaging in argument, beyond simply trying to “beat” the opponent. Believe it or not, sometimes arguments are constructed simply to entertain. Other times they are constructed to convince. And still others are constructed to help clarify concepts and facilitate meaningful collaboration with those who have different ideas. Not all arguments are about winning and losing. And some, if you can believe it, are structured specifically to help us lose, and thus learn. Argument is not, in itself, an end or a purpose of communication. It is rather a means of discourse: a way of developing what we have to say. We can identify four primary aims or purposes that argument helps us accomplish:

• Inquiry
• Conviction
• Persuasion
• Negotiation

• View the Powerpoint: The Four Aims of Argument

Arguing to Inquire: Forming our opinions or questioning those we already have.

The ancient Greeks used the word dialectic to identify an argument as inquiry; a more common term might be dialogue or conversation. Arguing to inquire helps us accomplish the following:

• • to form opinions
  • to question opinions
  • to reason our way through conflicts or contradictions

It requires an attitude of patient questioning under non-threatening circumstances, usually done alone or among trusted friends and associates. The primary purpose is a search for the truth. The primary audience is often the writer and fellow inquirers concerned with the same issues.

Examples: Classroom discussions; journal writing; exploratory essays; letters; late-night bull sessions in a dorm.

Arguing to Convince: Gaining assent from others through case-making.

While some inquiry may be never-ending, the goal of most inquiry is to reach a conclusion, a conviction. We seek an earned opinion, achieved through careful thought, research, and discussion. And then we usually want others to share this conviction, to secure the assent of an audience by means of reason rather than by force.

• Arguing to inquire centers on asking questions: we want to first expose and examine what we think.
• Arguing to convince requires us to make a case, to get others to agree with what we think. While inquiry is a cooperative use of argument, convincing is competitive. We put our case against the case of others in an effort to win the assent of readers.
• Examples: a lawyer’s brief; newspaper editorials; case studies; most academic writing

 Arguing to Persuade: Moving others to action through rational, emotional, personal, and stylistic appeals.

While arguing to convince seeks to earn the assent of readers or listeners, arguing to persuade attempts to influence their behavior, to move them to act upon the conviction. Persuasion aims to close the gap between assent and action. To convince focuses on the logic of an argument; to persuade will often rely on the personal appeal of the writer (what Aristotle called ethos) and involve an appeal to an audience’s emotions (pathos). In addition to these personal and emotional appeals, persuasion exploits the resources of language more fully than convincing does.

• In general, the more academic the audience or the more purely intellectual the issue, the more likely that the writing task involves an argument to convince rather than to persuade. In most philosophy or science assignments, for example, the writer would usually focus on conviction rather than persuasion, confining the argument primarily to thesis, reasons, and evidence. But when you are working with public issues, with matters of policy or questions of right and wrong, persuasion’s fuller range of appeal is usually appropriate.
• Persuasion begins with difference and, when it works, ends with identity.  We expect that before reading our argument, readers will differ from us in beliefs, attitudes, and/or desires. A successful persuasive argument brings readers and writer together, creating a sense of connection between parties.
• Examples: Political speeches, sermons, advertising

Arguing to Negotiate: Exploring differences of opinion in the hope of reaching agreement and/or cooperation.

If efforts to convince and/or persuade the audience have failed, the participants must often turn to negotiation, resolving the conflict in order to maintain a satisfactory working relationship.

• Each side must listen closely to understand the other side’s case and the emotional commitments and values that support that case. The aim of negotiation is to build consensus, usually by making and asking for concessions. Dialogue plays a key role, bringing us full circle back to argument as inquiry. Negotiation often depends on collaborative problem-solving.
• Examples: Diplomatic negotiations, labor relations, documents in organizational decision-making; essays seeking resolution of conflict between competing parties; also frequent in private life when dealing with disagreements among friends and family members.