by Peter Löcke //
A healthy culture of debate is the basis of every democracy. Discourse, the search for truth and not the proclamation of truth, is the essence of every democracy. I grew up with these principles. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis. That's how I was taught. At school, you had to write essays. In this form of text, you are asked to collect pro and con arguments on a controversial topic in order to arrive at your own reasoned opinion after weighing them up. Are discussions still written today? Or will students have to write two columns for political topics in 2024? On the left is the column of unquestionable truth, on the right the column of fake news and deniers.
When exactly did we forget how to argue? It must have been long before corona. Do you remember the scandal surrounding the deeply fractured relationship between soccer coach Thomas Tuchel and his then superior Aki Watzke? That was in 2017 and the scandal was triggered by four harmless words. When BVB's managing director was asked in an interview whether there was a disagreement between him and his coach, he replied with the admission "Yes. That's how it is." All hell broke loose afterwards. A disagreement is a difference of opinion. Nothing more and nothing less. Following this logic, my entire social life consists of deeply fractured relationships.
Why aren't we arguing anymore? I have just read that angry farmers prevented Robert Habeck from going ashore from the ferry. Of course, any speculation is out of the question. Nevertheless, irrespective of the background, which is unknown to me, there is now the following reaction sequence, because the pattern for such events is the same and recurring. The trinity of moralism follows. It consists of dismay (sympathy for the Minister of Economic Affairs), indignation (danger to democracy) and the demand to distance oneself (addressed to the farmers' association). No need for a crystal ball. Unfortunately, the following will not happen. A sober classification and investigation into the causes of the events and a factual debate about whether the event was really as scandalous as it spontaneously appears. The question "Cui bono?" - who benefits politically from this incident - this important controversial question will not be asked.
Is it okay to offer controversial people a stage? Of course. Above all, controversial people should be given a stage. I want to listen to people who are politically to the left or right of me. I am fascinated by controversial people with new, provocative views and then I want to argue with them. I don't want to eat the same porridge from different plates every day, I want to change my menu.
Why is arguing so valuable? I know my own opinion. I can hold monologues in the shower. I can only broaden my horizons by arguing with someone who thinks differently. The linguistic foil, the verbal sabre, even the battle axe if necessary - if you enter a duel, you should agree on the choice of weapons. If the victory lies in gaining knowledge, both win. There is a simple trick for this. Take off the crown of human vanity before an argument. Without a crown, no prong will break if the other person has the better arguments.
Why does arguing strengthen character? An analog face-to-face argument trains people. Expressing your opinion to someone who disagrees with you, defending your point of view and being able to withstand contradiction - these are things that we are gradually unlearning in the digital world. I can make it easy for myself online by blocking my counterpart with a click of the mouse. That doesn't work in real life. Only in analog disputes do people learn to endure the stress of a conflict and oh wonder - they don't die from it.
Why is arguing fun? What loves each other, teases each other. Try it again! In response to an argument the night before, my wife left me a little note. It said that I was a miserable curmudgeon. And rightly so. I kindly pointed out to her that you spell "Korinthenkacker" with an "h". Understand the women - that made her really angry. The ensuing argument ended with me suggesting we go for a walk with the dog. That's usually an unmistakable sign that I've run out of arguments and would rather leave. When I came back, all was well again. Hurray for the culture of argument!
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One Response
"When practicing tolerance, an enemy is the best teacher" (Lao Tzu)
I got this quote from the book I'm currently reading. So it's a real novel and not an "enlightening" stage play, to digress briefly to your other post about Correctiv:-)
I think it fits in quite well with this column. I would have liked the farmers to have succeeded with their Habeck blockade. At least that was my first smiling thought when I heard about it.