Why Argument Matters

Critic Siegel (Against the Machine) offers an invigorating reflection on the nature and value of disagreement. Arguments are central to human imagination, he writes, and a “true argument” consists of two aspects: “an intense concern for the matter at hand that extends beyond merely winning or losing...and the ability to live the thoughts and emotions behind the counterargument.” In Siegel’s view, arguments are different from disputes, debates, and quarrels—they’re “justifications for ways of living,” and, “like art,” are creative processes that take root when alone. He cites several surprising examples to prove his point: Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own and René Descartes’s A Discourse on Method, both of which were conceived in solitude. Siegel also covers the rhetorical turns of Barack Obama’s speeches and John Locke’s thoughts on logic, and explores whether art is an argument in and of itself (“The proof that art is... lies in the degree to which a work of art gives rise to argument”). Whereas the concept of argumentation is often seen in terms of combat and victory, Siegel suggests, the “most relentless, intellectually merciless arguments are acts of caring about the world” because they are in service of working toward a better life. This sharp and taut outing is a lesson in a well-constructed argument itself. (Feb.)