Lesson 3c: What is Worth Arguing About?

Writing Arguments shows several examples for arguments, from Kathleen, who argued that her school accept her American Sign Language credits as foreign language credits (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 9-10), or an argument about Mosh Pits being dangerous (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 12), to a native American trying to become a lawyer for his tribe who was requesting that the university waive the math requirements for his degree (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 14). These are all things worth arguing about, or, I don't think the book would have selected them as examples.

Honestly, I think the real question is not "What is worth arguing about?" But what are you passionate about, and why? What are your beliefs? How do you justify them? We are such a diverse people that you can find anyone who will believe anything. There are, for example, people who believe the holocaust of the Jews did not happen (Lim).

I believe that, given this criteria, that anything is worth arguing about. I have always believed that a view is not valid because I believe in it as well, but that a view is valid because it can be defended intelligently through sound logic and good references. I can argue that everyone should take a year of Computer Science classes in order to learn how to think, but unless I can defend this view, and unless I can defend it with sound reasoning, this view is useless. It is useless because either no one would be persuaded by it or because there is no logic behind it to back it up.

Having a sound argument doesn't mean necessarily that I will have to agree with it, because I, as well as all of us, have our biases. However, having a sound argument makes something worth arguing about because it will at least be entertaining.

Ramage, John, John Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments : A rhetoric with Readingsit'. 4th. Pearson Education, Inc, 2007. 9-10, 12, 14. Print.

Lim, Joy. "Did the Holocaust Happen." N.p., 1998. Web. 17 Sep 2010. .