What is an Argument?

 Firstly, I would like to state what an argument is not. An argument is not a fight. A fight is two

people throwing opinions at each other like bricks, in hopes of knocking the other down. But the

problem is, our opinions will never be as solid as a brick. If you have not caught on, the brick is

my metaphor for the truth. An argument is two people laying down their opinions and examining

them to see which is closest in solidity to the brick. An argument occurs when both parties wish

to uncover the truth, not only to prove their opinion right. An argument may end with one party

persuading the other to their side, but if both parties are unwilling to change their opinion and

have a civil discussion, the argument will end in "agreement to disagree." A man who is prideful

will never uncover the truth and therefore will go unknowing. A man who chases truth, however,

will always have more to learn and is much more pleasant. The truth is not objective, an

argument is between two people with separate opinions searching for the truth. Anything else is

simply a contradiction and will never lead to any revelation. Today we live in a world that wants

to accept everyone’s opinions as valid, and if no one is willing to change their opinion to align

with the truth this will lead to more fights and fewer arguments.

We need to be challenged in our opinion so we can discover our

morals. I believe that the main difference between non-academic arguments and academic

arguments is that academic arguments will have scholarly references to back them up, while non-

academic arguments may not have sufficient facts behind them, but only opinions. An academic

argument can stem from an opinion but is backed up by facts. A non-academic argument is an

opinion but will not always have facts to support it.

At the root of every argument there will be bias, but an academic

argument has a better shot at a truthful bias since it needs to be backed up by facts and research. I

believe that a solid argument does more than attempt to "persuade" as you put it. An academic

argument should look for the truth, not a chance to shoot opinions down. There is no point in

putting our opinions above others’ if we never find the truth. I strongly agree with your closing

statement that, "Pointless arguments will not lead to anything productive." This is something

modern society has lost, their search for truth, and ability to have a civil argument. Everyone

fights, wanting to be able to say, “I’m right,” putting opinions on pedestals seeing no value in

facts.