Post #737950

Who is arguing for? https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/who-is-arguing-for QUOTE But Weisenthal’s cynicism misunderstands the primary purpose of public arguments. The two individuals arguing are actually secondary to the vastly more important third actor: The silent audience. When I first began writing in public, I struggled with the question of when to respond to my detractors. Some people would tell me “there’s no point, you’re not going to change their minds,” which I concede is often true. But when I did respond—mostly because I am constitutionally incapable of allowing someone to mischaracterize my arguments—I noticed something interesting: Other people’s reactions. When talking to friends, when texting with sources, when meeting up with other journalists at the bar, I realized how many people are passively reading online arguments and making judgements and updating their own views. As someone who did college debate, this is all remarkably familiar. Debaters don’t ever expect the other team to give up in the middle of the round and admit defeat. That’s not the point. They’re trying to convince the judge!