Quote o' the Day: Joseph Joubert

"The aim of argument, or of discussion,
should not be victory, but progress."

—Joseph Joubert

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(posted by) Mike

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Yoshi Carroll: "Argument is understood, known, metaphorically, as war. We have sides in an argument. We take positions. We attack and defend. There is a winner and a loser. A goal. What if we understand argument as a dance instead?" (See here.)

Jim Arthur:

Palin: An argument is a collective series of statements to establish a definite proposition.

Cleese: No it isn’t.

Palin: Yes it is, it isn’t just contradiction.

Cleese: Look, if I argue with you I must take up a contradictory position.

Palin: But it isn’t just saying, no it isn’t.

Cleese: Yes it is.

Palin: No it isn’t...an argument is an intellectual process, while contradiction is just the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says.

Cleese: No it isn’t.

Palin: Yes it is.

—Monty Python

Yvan Sirois: "So true. I’ve noticed in my life that when I let go of my ego during a discussion I learn so much from the other person(s)."

Comments

[Terry Letton]

Ah but for Ego

[Dave Stewart]

Not the policy of a proportion of our UK politicians...

[beuler]

Hear hear.

[John Ashbourne]

If only that could be the basis of debate in both my country, Britain, and yours that might be the best possible thing for all of their citizens.

[Clay Olmstead]

It's a cultural expectation. I'm told the French love arguments so much, they are actually disappointed when an argument leads to a conclusion.