ArpitGarg's Weblog

Just for the sake of argument. A lot of times we feel that we are losing an argument. That the other side is winning. It can happen due to number of reasons. The other party may have better points to put forward. We might be lacking the depth on the issue and not able to give supporting literature. What to do in such a situation?

Some people would concede and back off, lose the argument. What if we don’t want to? Well, if it does not seem possible to win, best is not let the other side win. This may not be an outright win for you, but if you puncture holes in opposite argument, you have pretty much nailed it.

I remember a scene from movie, where a lobbyist father (whose whole livelihood depend on gift of the gab), explains to his son. He said, it’s not important that you are right, to win an argument. You just have to prove the other person wrong. He went ahead giving an example. If you say Chocolate ice-cream is better and your friend says Vanilla is better. There is no clear way to win the argument. You can attack the other side of being a racist for not liking dark colored chocolate. By proving him bad, you become right.

I agree it might not look an honorable approach. But since not being politically correct is in vogue these days, this might just pass through. Attack the person if not the argument. And believe me you will win every single time. If such a win satisfies you, that is.