Some Arguments Are Better Than Others

A breakdown of what constitutes good argumentation, focusing on four aspects that distinguish good arguments from bad ones, or good arguments from even better ones.

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0:00 The Basics
4:50 Reasoning
7:49 Comprehensiveness
10:27 Terminology
15:21 Clarity

Sources:

Thinking About Thinking - Antony Flew
The Uses Of Argument - Stephen Toulmin
A Rulebook For Arguments - Anthony Weston
A History Of Western Philosophy - Bertrand Russell
The Myth Of The Framework - Karl Popper

Intro/Outro Music: Double Soul - Unfinished Sympathy

[hihoktf]

I've always said the best way to "win" an argument is to understand your opponents argument better than they do; that is, assuming you still find your argument more compelling.

[brianhood]

IF THIS ISNT THE BEST ARGUING COMMENTS SECTION ON YOUTUBE IM GONNA BE SO UPSET WITH YOU ALL

[majorthsmcgee]

This Pedro is an interesting guy.

Great video Ryan!

[natebozeman]

It will forever amaze me that this channel doesn't have millions of subscribers.

[lalaboards]

This guy is direct like a hammer ….. a new talent for sure …

[stevedouglas]

Yes Ryan, people often make the mistake of taking pride in their beliefs. When they get challenged, cognitive dissonance gets in the way of clear thinking.

[Wihongi]

Love your work Ryan. Redefined terminology and lack of clarity are definitely problems in academic- and political-speak at the moment.

[liberlynn]

I love your videos so much. Way to be a voice of calm reason in a world where so many are either holed up in their echo chambers or simply yelling past each other. 💙

[StephenDeagle]

Problem is, no matter how good your argument, you most often can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into.

[Ivan-tdkb]

An argument is an attempt to find the correct answer to a question. The problem arises when you’re asking the wrong question in the first place. When this happens, the result is that even though your argument is correct, it’s incomplete and leads to the wrong conclusion.

We know that two seemingly contradictory statement could both be true, as long as there is a logical explanation that disproves those seeming contradiction. Not to mention that not everybody is equally skillful in communicating their arguments. When you’re just focusing on your correct argument, legitimate ideas get buried by your “good” argument.

[GodOfFools]

Thank you I needed this to improve my arguments.

[mindfulskills]

Ryan, believe me when I say that in your arguments, the plainness NEVER becomes counterproductive. Please don't change your style! You are already achieving the perfect balance of valuable information presented artfully. In this age of trolls, bots, conspiracies and "alternative facts, " your clear, calm and concise videos are oases of rationality, where the curious can safely drink the cool waters of knowledge without fear of an angle, a pitch, or a knife in the back.

[nathanphillipsshine]

I'm new to your channel and loving it. About the use of standard terminology: I get so tired of debates when one or both sides argue "it depends on what you mean by 'bla, bla, bla'". And they get stuck on debating about the terms and not the subject itself. It would be good practice to start every debate by defining key terms that are mutually acceptable by both sides. Thanks for your content!

[misanek]

Good work. The problem with the notion of standard terminology is that some of us are fluent in English, but we do not live in a native English environment. Then our understanding of English is more of a literary character than of a commonly spoken character. The common usage of a term is not always the same as the dictionary definition of a term. I find that this creates many unnecessary misunderstandings.

A good example of such a term is religion. It is of Latin origin and therefore, connected to my native environment by Latin tradition of the Catholic church in Eastern Europe (Latin word religio). If used in an American environment, the majority start thinking of religion in protestant terms. This creates a lot of confusion. Especially with regard to many other terms in the English language that are of Latin and Greek origin.

I find that the Aristotelian argument of "How many a dispute could have been deflated into a single paragraph if the disputants had dared to define their terms!" Is much more useful, than the notion of a standard terminology. To effectively communicate means to find common terminology.

[Trapping_ackbar]

I feel like redefining terms is especially pernicious. Some people do it intentionally in order to win an argument and push for their ideology. Just look at Patrica Bidol who came up with the meme “P+P=R” and admitted she did so in order to win political arguments against moderate Americans. Then a whole bunch of people adopt that meme and our discourse is swamped in arguments over definitions. Redefining words really rubs me the wrong way.

[EricKolotyluk]

I only started watching your channel recently, but so far I have really been impressed by your clarity of thought. Now I am beginning to understand why your thinking seems so clear, it's because your ability to reason and communicate that reasoning is so well developed. However, I cannot watch too many of your videos at once, because watching your videos challenges me to think so hard, I could become too overwhelmed with thought. This channel should be required study in high schools. Please keep up the good work.

[rosaluks]

A very very nice summary and no, it is not boring at all

[mikaelarschibald]

This video should be obligatory for like...everyone. Thank you for some well spent 20 minutes! :)

[oldgraybeard]

I love the depth of your research, and its easily digestible succinct presentation. This applies to your other videos, also.

[zacharyclark]

Yes! Your third point on terminology is one that I have seen a lot recently. It seems like some people want the emotional/historical/cultural impact of a specific term, but attach it to a somewhat related idea that they are arguing for/against.

Really interesting thoughts!