Davis

Rachel Davis

S. Floyd

English 103

Argument as Inquiry

13 March 2004

Argument as Inquiry

“Sometimes the purpose of an argument is to generate truth, which will then resonate with an audience and be persuasive, but persuasion is the by-product and not the goal” (Weeblog).

        As a society, the importance of communication and the never ending search for truth has motivated great scholars and thinkers alike to express their ideas and values in the form of an argument.   As seen from the quote above, the form of an argument not only serves a purpose in generating truth, but also in understanding perspectives and as a mode of relaying information.  

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        Truth to most is a relative term.  So then how is it possible to successfully argue a truth?   The book, everything’s an argument provides a clear answer to this paradox, “the point of argument is to discover some version of the truth, using evidence and reasons…The aim of persuasion is to change a point of view, or to move others from conviction to action.  In other words, writers or speakers argue to find some truth; they persuade when they think they already know it” (Lunsford 6).  Therefore, the method of presenting an argument does not necessarily mean the presenter must ...

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