WEBVTT 00:00:01.840 --> 00:00:05.379 Greetings, this is Andy Johnson. Topic of today's 00:00:05.379 --> 00:00:08.980 presentation is the importance of arguments. 00:00:09.419 --> 00:00:13.820 Arguments are not bad things. Arguments are good 00:00:13.820 --> 00:00:19.480 things. In fact, they are essential things. Now, 00:00:19.539 --> 00:00:23.699 an argument in an academic setting is not two 00:00:23.699 --> 00:00:27.500 people yelling at each other. An argument in 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:31.679 this setting is the process of engagement. where 00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:35.539 you put forth a proposition and support it using 00:00:35.539 --> 00:00:39.600 reason, evidence, and analysis while another 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:44.020 listens. And when you're finished propositioning 00:00:44.020 --> 00:00:48.320 and supporting, the other puts forth a counterargument 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:52.920 while you listen. Focusing only on the initial 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:56.960 proposition, this process continues until one 00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:01.939 of five things occur. One, you persuade the other 00:01:01.939 --> 00:01:05.280 or others of the correctness of your proposition. 00:01:06.519 --> 00:01:10.859 Two, you get persuaded of the wrongness of your 00:01:10.859 --> 00:01:15.900 proposition. Three, you find areas of agreement 00:01:15.900 --> 00:01:21.140 and compromise. Four, you have a better understanding 00:01:21.140 --> 00:01:24.780 of the other but recognize that differences are 00:01:24.780 --> 00:01:29.219 irreconcilable. or five, one of you gets mad 00:01:29.219 --> 00:01:33.340 and leaves in a huff. Now, the argumentative 00:01:33.340 --> 00:01:37.500 process, argumentation process is the foundation 00:01:37.500 --> 00:01:42.859 of academic discourse within the academy. It's 00:01:42.859 --> 00:01:47.900 worked for centuries, enabling our various academic 00:01:47.900 --> 00:01:53.200 fields to continually evolve. These arguments 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:57.069 usually take place in academic journals, academic 00:01:57.069 --> 00:02:00.769 conferences, and various other academic presentations. 00:02:01.909 --> 00:02:05.250 Yeah, you say, but we're not in an academic setting, 00:02:05.450 --> 00:02:09.810 you liberal egghead. Yes, this is a well -stated 00:02:09.810 --> 00:02:13.830 proposition with which I agree. We are not in 00:02:13.830 --> 00:02:19.009 an academic setting. However, in a non -academic 00:02:19.009 --> 00:02:23.889 setting, constructive argumentation is still 00:02:24.240 --> 00:02:28.539 the best way to move the conversation forward. 00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:32.960 Here, propositions are still made and supported 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:38.759 using reason, evidence, and analysis. In fact, 00:02:39.180 --> 00:02:42.000 the white men in tight pants who designed our 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:47.060 democracy 250 years ago also believed the argumentative 00:02:47.060 --> 00:02:50.520 process to be so important that they built it 00:02:50.520 --> 00:02:55.560 into our form of governments. Today we have courts 00:02:55.560 --> 00:02:58.960 and legislative bodies where arguments are heard, 00:02:59.340 --> 00:03:03.000 propositions are supported, and decisions are 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:07.300 made. So the importance of argument, as stated 00:03:07.300 --> 00:03:10.800 previously, the argumentative process promotes 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:15.419 change, growth, and evolution. Argument invites 00:03:15.419 --> 00:03:20.360 us to revisit and review our view on things. 00:03:20.580 --> 00:03:24.879 And then we either reify or revise our thinking. 00:03:26.020 --> 00:03:30.939 Now, changes in thinking don't indicate a flip 00:03:30.939 --> 00:03:34.860 -flopper or a spineless fraud. It doesn't mean 00:03:34.860 --> 00:03:38.180 that a person lacks strong conviction about things. 00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:44.020 It means that the person is alive. And things 00:03:44.020 --> 00:03:48.789 that are alive change and grow when they encounter 00:03:48.789 --> 00:03:54.189 new information or have new experiences. Things 00:03:54.189 --> 00:03:58.770 that are dead stay the same and eventually wither 00:03:58.770 --> 00:04:03.930 away. It's the ability to change and grow in 00:04:03.930 --> 00:04:08.110 our thinking that has been hardwired into our 00:04:08.110 --> 00:04:12.819 species. It's what enabled our ancestors to leave 00:04:12.819 --> 00:04:17.540 the trees and evolve on the plains of the savannas 00:04:17.540 --> 00:04:22.160 millions of years ago. Yet some would prefer 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:25.480 to stay in the trees teaching children to sound 00:04:25.480 --> 00:04:29.500 out words instead of teaching them to read. They 00:04:29.500 --> 00:04:34.120 see and hear only what they understand and information 00:04:34.120 --> 00:04:37.610 or experiences that differ. from the current 00:04:37.610 --> 00:04:40.730 ways of thinking are discarded or explained away. 00:04:41.769 --> 00:04:46.189 They wave their arms in screech and anger when 00:04:46.189 --> 00:04:49.689 they encounter words like balanced literacy or 00:04:49.689 --> 00:04:54.709 three -queueing. They live in clans of like -thinking 00:04:54.709 --> 00:04:58.930 individuals. And this has resulted in cognitive 00:04:58.930 --> 00:05:02.670 inbreeding and all sorts of wacky mutations such 00:05:02.670 --> 00:05:07.689 as letters, professional development. There will 00:05:07.689 --> 00:05:12.029 be no dissent. While essential for a healthy 00:05:12.029 --> 00:05:15.850 functioning democracy, autocracies have never 00:05:15.850 --> 00:05:20.230 been comfortable with arguments. Arguments to 00:05:20.230 --> 00:05:22.750 get people believe in the wrong sorts of things, 00:05:23.089 --> 00:05:27.110 they say. There'd be chaos if people were allowed 00:05:27.110 --> 00:05:30.610 to go around believing whatever they want, they 00:05:30.610 --> 00:05:35.089 say. And besides, arguments are not needed if 00:05:35.089 --> 00:05:39.009 you are right about everything, they say. And 00:05:39.009 --> 00:05:42.230 I'll point out here that Donald Trump has insisted 00:05:42.230 --> 00:05:46.850 that he's been right about everything. Throughout 00:05:46.850 --> 00:05:50.149 the centuries, the more powerful have always 00:05:50.149 --> 00:05:53.850 tried to quash the arguments made by the less 00:05:53.850 --> 00:05:57.759 powerful. They believe that people won't start 00:05:57.759 --> 00:06:01.319 believing the wrong sorts of things if they can't 00:06:01.319 --> 00:06:05.079 hear the arguments. So they quash them. Governments, 00:06:05.459 --> 00:06:08.439 political movements, and even religions have 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:12.000 stayed in power far longer than they should have 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:16.759 by eliminating the argumentative process. And 00:06:16.759 --> 00:06:20.160 it's worth noting that Trump's FCC and Justice 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:24.019 Department have done all sorts of things to eliminate 00:06:24.220 --> 00:06:28.439 the argument. These actions represent the very 00:06:28.439 --> 00:06:33.959 worst unpatriotic, un -American impulses. So 00:06:33.959 --> 00:06:37.660 what are we talking about here, you ask? Religion, 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:42.639 politics, or reading instruction? To which I 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:47.439 say, yes. But the book I'm working on is about 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:50.139 the science of reading, so I'll be putting this 00:06:50.139 --> 00:06:52.519 in the context of reading instruction.