The skills of debate are still relevant today. If we take the term broadly to mean the attempt or ability to persuade, the modern world is constantly trying to debate with us – it’s saturated with words and images that try to make us believe something. Debate is not something confined to ancient Greece, the halls of parliament, or upper-crust boarding schools.

Learning the skills and practice of debate is still highly relevant. It can help you in your day-to-day life; it can also be of use in discussing the big issues of the day.

Sam Leith, author of You Talkin’ to Me? Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama, says, “Debating in schools seems to teach you things unlearnable in other ways: not only how to construct an argument (and rejig it on the hoof), but how its success depends more than anything on the form of its expression. It teaches you to think on your feet and fight dirty. Plus public speaking is s***-scary, and that’s good for kids.”

Learning the skills and practice of debate is still highly relevant. It can help you in your day-to-day life; it can be also of use in discussing the big issues of the day. Whether you are talking about the refugee problem or convincing that employer to give you the job, learning how to debate is an important accomplishment.

Read more about it in The Guardian article “Why debating still matters” by Alex Clark.

Posted in Rhetoric and Debates, Education

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