Science and Art of Debate

Capa
Independently Published, 03/08/2019 - 280 páginas
From the PREFACE.This book treats of the various ways of convincing and persuading men. While intended as a textbook for schools and colleges, it is also adapted to the needs of the lawyer, the preacher, the teacher, the citizen; in short, to anyone who is called upon--as who is not?--to urge the acceptance of his ideas upon a hearer, or to refute ideas offered in opposition thereto.In our schools and colleges the value of argumentation as an independent branch of study is now generally recognized. But numerous as are the treatises on argumentation, the subject of debate is usually treated in a single chapter, or not at all. This book aims to meet the needs not only of the expert in argumentation, but also of the practical debater. The average citizen is called upon to argue orally far oftener than he is required to present a written argument; and of what avail is his knowledge and logic if they cannot be utilized in the discussions of every-day life? However, any attempt to teach debate in a thorough and systematic manner must involve the study of argumentation generally, and this, in turn, involves practice in writing and argumentative composition. A treatise on debate, therefore, must include the subject of argumentation in all its phases,--analysis, evidence, proof, the different kinds of arguments and how to meet them. But the present volume goes further than this, and aims to show the student how he may utilize his training in writing when he is called upon to present his arguments orally before an actual audience and in the presence of an opponent who is waiting to reply.Debate being primarily a disciplinary study, not an informing one, the ultimate purpose of instruction in this line must be to lead one to think for himself, to check errors in reasoning, and to think straight. Debate is therefore a difficult subject to treat in a formal manner. The endeavor has been, however, to develop the treatment in a systematic way, making all suggestions as specific as possible, giving attention to one thing at a time, and supplementing principles and theories with illustrative matter and with exercises for practice. In the one hundred and fifty questions for debate contained in the Appendix will be found a wide range of subjects for special investigations, discussions, and moot court practice.In the preparation of this treatise many helpful suggestions have been secured from various works on argumentation; special acknowledgements of which will be found in the text.

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