Constructive Arguing?

Day 98: Job 15-19

I love how Job and his friends speak to each other. What honesty they have towards one another! And even though they disagree, they still love and respect one another. Yet, they still tell it like it is. What a concept! These conversations are true dialogue. Plato and Aristotle would be proud of the way these friends engage the subject matter and dialogue about it. They are engaged in dialectic with one another.

I'm teaching Argumentative and Persuasive Writing next semester (and am very excited about it), and with all that I've been reading about argument, I find the arguments of these people to be thoughtful, engaging, and honest. And what's more is that their dialogue is not empty of emotion. That is, when we get involved in disagreements with people, our emotions often become the center, so much so that we can't even engage in the logical discussion that might truly help us come to some resolution. But these people, they get emotional, yes, but they still remain focused on the question. I like the way they argue.

Maybe when we get involved in debates or disagreements, whether it be with our spouse, our best friend, our children, or acquaintances, we can look towards the conversations between Job and his friends and be reminded that the purpose isn't to "win," but to dialogue with each other so that all sides grow and learn something. That's what I hope to teach my students.