By the end of our class today I felt like our class had a weird take on the word "winning". Some argued that when arguing they are just trying gain knowledge while others are trying to win their argument, maybe even prove that they are more knowledgable. We've all been in this kind of situation in class.
One way or another you are trying to share with the class your persepective. In doing so you are sharing this in order for the class to not only have an understanding but to even agree with you. You may think that you don't care if they agree with you or not but why are you speaking up if you're only gonna get shut down? If no one agrees with you or at least no one stands up to continue the conversation with the same idea do you regret throwing the idea out there or do you hold strong and continue forward? Most of us will stay quiet after saying something that doesnt settle too well in class. Well that's most of us. I think the key is that no one wants to sound stupid, everyone wants to be or appear knowledgable. Most of the time it is usually "appear" over "be."
From this we came to the fair conclusion of a term "dialectic" or at least it seemed that most people could accept that term. In our reading, it did discuss arguments but I think there was too much focus on that when really it was torwards metaphors and how we use it in language (including arguments). The point of metaphors is that it is supposed to make an idea clearer if complicated (usually) what it can do is confuse its audience if not used well. One way or another it is all about perspective.
2 comments:
I believe that the purpose of everyone involved in an argument is to win. Whether or not the win is clearly stated depends on the context of the argument itself. Unlike the days of dialectic, arguments are straightforward, you have an opponent and there is only one winner and one loser. I believe that the nature or arguing is intricate and there can be many tools and strategies to enhance your chances of winning. One of these strategies is using metaphors. The purpose of a metaphor according to Lakoff and Johnson is to make thoughts more vivid through poetic imagination and rhetorical flourish. However, metaphors can go beyond arguing and language and become prevalent in our everyday life throughout thought and action.
I too was intrigued by our class discussion on winning. I really don't have anything to add to your post. It really helped me come to a full understanding of todays discussion and wish I would've read this before I posted. Dialectic is something that should be taken into account during any discussion in class... applying this to my understanding of today left me with a more fluid and open ended understanding. Great post!
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