Chapter 5. Golden Rule 5: Excel at responding to arguments
As I’ve said several times already, being a good arguer means not only making the points that you want to make, but also responding to the points that other people have made. The best form of argument involves putting forward your best arguments and seeking to counter the other person’s.
There are three ways of responding to an argument:
• Challenging the facts upon which the other person is relying.
• Challenging the conclusions they are reaching.
• Accepting the point they have made, but arguing that there are other points that outweigh what has been said.
This will be clearer if we look at some examples.
All English people dress badly. The Queen is English. Therefore the Queen dresses ...
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