I’m not going to bore you with my particular feelings about the topic of abortion. You don’t need my input to form your own opinions.
The reason I want to talk about abortion is because of its argumentative value. It seems that no matter what the political climate or social flow is, abortion is always being discussed at intellectual institutions and at the highest levels of government.
Now, let me lay some groundwork for this article. I was in debate for three years in high school. I was very involved in the program, and I learned a great deal about speech and debate from my experience in the activity. I recommend this activity to anyone wanting to improve their reasoning or language skills.
Having said that, I think abortion is a testimony to the great failure of debate in our culture. To be fair, I chose perhaps the most controversial issue I could have for an example, but I think it’s always important to view things on the grandest of scales.
My point is this, if you take two very intelligent individuals, one who supports abortion and one who does not, and you put them into a room with each other for five hours and tell them to debate and discuss the topic, you will likely get nothing done. Sure, they will listen to each other and acknowledge that good points are made by their opponent, but in the end, no matter what was said, those people are probably not going to walk out feeling any different than when they started. There are exceptions to this rule, to be sure, but I believe that most people (sadly, myself included) fit pretty snugly into this category.
So why is this? Why can’t reasonable individuals change their opinions on something in the face of new and important information? People, in general, are not this stubborn, but when it comes to admitting that their opinion is wrong and someone else’s is right, we just can’t seem to swallow our pride and accept new ideas.
Again, not everyone fits this mold. Some are willing to tweak their opinion based on thoughtful debate, but these people are few and far between. People in general, and especially Americans, feel that our sources and information must be superior to those of our opponents because there is just no way we could have been so wrong for so long.
While this is nothing to be ashamed of, it is something to think about. I doubt very much that simply adjusting our view of debate could solve the abortion debate, but I do think that being open to new ideas and information is an important aspect of a democracy that is getting lost each time we refuse to really listen to what our opponents are saying to us.
We are a country founded on the principle that good ideas can come from anywhere. Capitalism relies on individuals coming up with successful money making ideas that they are willing to take to the sky. If our society hinges on every day people making thoughtful and informed decisions, I think it’s time that we need to refine and hone our decision making and opinion forming skills.
So I challenge you, try to spend a little bit of time thinking from the other person’s point of view. Instead of claiming that you are “pro-life” or “pro-choice,” think about it as “anti-choice” and “anti-life.” Something as simple as acknowledging that another perspective exists can even be helpful to develop and expand new ideas.
I know it’s tough to admit you were wrong or even to admit someone else has made a good point, but if you really want to be an informed citizen, you need to recognize that rarely can we get all the information we need from just a few sources. It takes both sides to uncover the truth.
-Josh Wesneski is an education senior.
bruenig 2 years, 9 months ago
People do not derive their opinions from reasoning and argument, they are socialized into their opinions in one way or another. These opinions are not detached ideas that they have no stake in. They become part of their individual identities. And so, to take a different position on their ideas is not simply a matter of admitting they were wrong, it requires them to negate themselves, their personal identity. It also requires them to say that the entity which socialized them is wrong.
For instance, if you come to the conclusion that God does not exist after having been socialized into religious belief, you also implicitly accept that your parents and likely your whole family are fools. This does not sit well with people as it is akin to insulting people they love.
And so, it is not simply stubborness you are dealing with.
king3808 2 years, 9 months ago
I understand what you are trying to communicate, but I think you picked a poor example in abortion.
The reason abortion is so controversial is because the people who are against it are standing on a very basic human principle, the right to life. For the people against abortion, myself included, there is no compromising on human life. We aren't talking about private health care versus a public option. We are literally talking life and death.
It will be so hard to get me to look at abortion from any other perspective because, again, my foundation is so basic.
Slavery. That's not a hard topic to debate really when speaking of human rights. Slavery is wrong because everyone should have the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And for some reason I can't remember that third thing. But what I am getting at is that no one will change their view on slavery because they are against it for fundamental reasons.
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