Is arguing good for us? We’re still arguing about it

We tend to associate arguing with destructive actions like quarreling or fighting. Argument is a different animal. It may be fueled by the passion that drives fights and quarrels, but effective arguing requires factual evidence and logic to support why one idea might work better than another idea.

At its finest, argument opens our world to ideas and solutions we hadn’t considered, whereas the passion and clashing egos of a fight often send us sulking to our respective corners.

This hour, we argue that arguing can be good for us, but one could argue that we’re wrong.

GUESTS: 

• Lee Siegel: A cultural critic and the author of seven books; his latest is Why Argument Matters
• Agnes Callard: An associate professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago and the author of Aspiration: The Agency of Becoming
• David Edelstein: America’s Greatest Living Film Critic

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Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show. 

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