Argumentation Quotes

“The study of Scripture I find to be quite like mastering an instrument. No one is so good that they cannot get any better; no one knows so much that they can know no more. A professional can spot an amateur or a lack of practice or experience a mile away. His technicality, his spiritual ear is razor-sharp. He is familiar with the common mistakes, the counter-arguments; and insofar as this, he can clearly distinguish the difference between honest critics of the Faith and mere fools who criticize that which they know nothing.”
― Criss Jami, Healology

“Cursed luck! —said he, biting his lip as he shut the door, —for man to be master of one of the finest chains of reasoning in nature, —and have a wife at the same time with such a head-piece, that he cannot hang up a single inference within side of it, to save his soul from destruction.”
― Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

“An objection which applies to all conduct can be no valid objection to any conduct in particular.”
― John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

“1. God is (by definition) a being than which no greater being can be thought.

2. Greatness includes greatness of virtue.

3. Therefore, God is a being than which no being could be more virtuous.

4. But virtue involves overcoming pains and dangers.

5. Indeed, a being can only be properly said to be virtuous if it can suffer pain or be destroyed.

6. A God that can suffer pain or is destructible is not one than which no greater being can be thought.

7.For you can think of a greater being, that is, one that is nonsuffering and indestructible.

8. Therefore, God does not exist.”
― Douglas N. Walton

“We are fed ideas in small sound bites that are really just the conclusions of particular beliefs. We do not examine what underpins these sound bites. If the sound bites are presented by a source we are accustomed to accepting as true, there is a danger we will assimilate the conclusion without knowing, or caring, whether it is based on solid arguments and assumptions.”
― Stephen McAndrew, Why It Doesn't Matter What You Believe If It’s Not True: Is There Absolute Truth?

“Logic, it is often said, is the study of valid arguments. It is a systematic attempt to distinguish valid arguments from invalid arguments.”
― William H. Newton-Smith, Logic: An Introductory Course

“In learning and argumentation, the quality brain is similar to a facility of maximum security. What passes the logic test, free of fallacy and pretense, then must pass the test of biblical accuracy in order to proceed as an adopted, reliable truth.”
― Criss Jami, Killosophy

“The poorly sophisticated, since many of us are, as presumed to be, lacking in good arguments, we are then prone to being well-versed in insults.”
― Criss Jami, Healology

“Replace anger with peace,moderation and clear argumentation. It hurts more the other side!”
― Dionisis Agelakis

“A man who hides himself, confesses as evidently the superiority of his enemy, as another who fairly delivers his arms.”
― David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature

“A man who hides himself, confesses as evidently the superiority of his enemy, as another, who fairly delivers his arms.”
― David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature

“It would behoove you to have your thesis finely tuned and the logical arguments utilized in support of it tightly woven into a credible, and creatively persuasive tapestry.”
― R. Alan Woods, The Journey Is the Destination: A Book of Quotes With Commentaries

“Talking about religion becomes irrelevant when your partner is being raped or your child is dying from a disease you can cure. The old phrase applies that if we are to prove ourselves good then we must not do nothing. We must not let illness prosper when we can cure it. We must not allow abuse when we can stop it and we must not give in to a disease that may be mind numbing and leads to violence.
This is an advocacy not of reason alone but faith in each other, hope for our future, and love in accomplishing these goals without sacrificing self, but rather growing self and calling ourselves to self-giving, not self-sacrifice.”
― Leviak B. Kelly, Religion: The Ultimate STD: Living a Spiritual Life without Dogmatics or Cultural Destruction

“I shall disdain to cull my phrases or polish my style. I aim at being useful, and sincerity will render me unaffected; [...] wishing rather to persuade by the force of my arguments than dazzle by the elegance of my language”
― Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

“De Bono argues that the West's tradition of settling disagreement by debate or argument is an example of overreliance on logic.”
― Steve Volk, Fringe-ology: How I Tried to Explain Away the Unexplainable-And Couldn't

“For authors, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line only if you are writing the letter I.”
― Michael A. Arnzen

“When your view is criticized or even ridiculed on television, on radio talk show, or in a newspaper editorial, don't just react angrily. Take a moment to jot down on paper the person's main thesis and how that thesis was supported. Then do two things. First, assume the person is expressing at least some good points and try to identify them. This assumption may be false, but the search for common ground with intellectual opponents is a good habit. In the process of identifying these good points, try to argue against your own view. Second, try to state on paper exactly how you would argue against the view being expressed in an intellectually precise yet emotionally calm way.”
― J.P. Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul

“The signs of a sage are simplicity and acceptance, not luxury and argumentation.”
― Abhijit Naskar