Argue, Don't Quarrel - Practical Lessons in Logic and Life
Presentation to the 41st Annual Chesterton Conference, Milwaukee, WI - July 29, 2022
Below you can access the slides from the presentation, along with a selected annotated bibliography.
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (SELECTED ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY):
Summa Theologiae by Saint Thomas Aquinas
Intended as an introductory "textbook" for theology students, Saint Thomas's masterwork is worth consulting in connection with argument simply in terms of his method. For those unfamiliar with the Summa, this can be confusing or daunting. Theology professors often tell stories of first year student's quoting one of the "objections" Thomas tackles, mistaking it for Thomas's own view!
The Summa is principly divided into three parts. Of these, the second and third are further subdivided, thus:
The Summa is principly divided into three parts. Of these, the second and third are further subdivided, thus:
- Prima Pars (the first part)
- Prima Secundae Pars (the first section of the second part)
- Secunda Secundae Pars (the second section of the second part)
- Tertia Pars (the third part)
- Supplementum Tertiae Pars (supplement to the third part)
In each of these parts Thomas addresses various Questions, which are the next principal division of the Summa. Under each Question he may deal with any number of Articles approaching various facets of the main question.
Thus, for example, Question 2 of the prima pars is "On the Existence of God." Under this question, Thomas approaches three faces in the respective Articles:
Thus, for example, Question 2 of the prima pars is "On the Existence of God." Under this question, Thomas approaches three faces in the respective Articles:
- Article 1: Is God's existence self-evident?
- Article 2: Is God's existence demonstrable?
- Article 3: Does God exist?
Next, it is important to look at the structure of each Article in the Summa. This is the trickiest issue for the novice reader of Aquinas. Aquinas breaks down each article into four main parts:
- Objections
- The sed contra ("on the contrary")
- The respondeo (the response, "I answer that")
- Replies to objections
THE UPSHOT FOR US...
Relative to the question of arguing and not quarreling, it is noteworthy how Aquinas goes out of his way to consider the opposing views. He even goes so far as to consider two sides of opposing views! Not only that, he "steel mans" rather than "straw mans" the opposing arguments: he presents them in the most generous way possible, as forcefully as he can: he wants to defeat objections at their strongest, not at their weakest.
All of these qualities—considering alternative views, circumspection in answering, building up before tearing down the opposing view—are things we can and should emulate in our practice of arguing.
Relative to the question of arguing and not quarreling, it is noteworthy how Aquinas goes out of his way to consider the opposing views. He even goes so far as to consider two sides of opposing views! Not only that, he "steel mans" rather than "straw mans" the opposing arguments: he presents them in the most generous way possible, as forcefully as he can: he wants to defeat objections at their strongest, not at their weakest.
All of these qualities—considering alternative views, circumspection in answering, building up before tearing down the opposing view—are things we can and should emulate in our practice of arguing.
Ars Rhetorica by Aristotle
The classic masterwork of the art of rhetoric. Here you will become acquainted with the famous concepts of λόγος (logos), ἦθος (ethos), and πάθος (pathos), the modes or means of persuasion in Aristotle's reckoning. Through Aristotle's analysis of the different contexts for rhetorical persuasion, you will see the various different uses and modes of rhetoric (of which reasoned argument, properly speaking, is only one among many).
An Introduction to Logic (Presented by a Chestertonian) by Dr. Peter J. Floriani
A logic book by a Chestertonian! What more needs to be said? From the back cover description of the book:
This book provides an introduction to one of the most powerful tools you will ever find: a tool used by the Greeks of the fourth century before Christ, described in amazingly modern yet almost poetic terms around 1250 by an eye-doctor who became Pope, resolved into pure mathematics in the 1800s, implemented in electronics in the 1900s... a simple, important, and common-sense tool: the tool known as Logic.
It begins with the question of Truth, its relation to fiction, and the importance of definitions. Then follow chapters on the two great branches of Logic:
Propositional Logic, which governs the linking of statements with AND, OR, NOT, and IMPLIES.
Predicate Logic, which governs statements about ALL, SOME, or NONE, and in particular the combination of three such statements called the Syllogism.
There are chapters on Error and on the application of Logic in the search for truth: the Argument, a formal debate in the Scholastic manner. It includes examples and several appendices explaining the 16 Boolean functions of two variables, the Trivium, the Summa, the Magic Words of Pope John XXI, and more.
Introductory Logic and Intermediate Logic from Canon Press
These textbooks from a Christian publication house are two very solid texts for introducing a student to the fundamentals of logic—everything from the classical "informal fallacies" (e.g., "ad hominem," "red herring," etc.) to the use of the square of opposition and truth tables in assessing the nature of propositions and the validity of arguments.