The Art of Debate

Is truth absolute? Is truth a point of view? Is truth a factor of perception?

I recently observed someone's quest for truth about a subject in the Bible. He researched the subject extensively and watched many videos by different people posing individual points of view. What struck me is how the same subject could be approached from different angles by these different people, yet using the same Bible verses to back up what they were saying. How astounding that one person could say a verse meant one thing in support of the viewpoint and another person would take the same verse and use it to show it meant a totally opposing viewpoint. It seemed to me that, in some cases, subtle word play was used to twist meaning. I wondered if I may do the same thing unconsciously in writing this blog. I write about many subjects and write from my point of view as I understand things, and someone else may totally disagree with what I write and might phrase the same topic very differently, approaching the subject from a very different angle. Who is correct and is there such a thing as correct? Are these different viewpoints what is known as individual ethics?  Might this be viewed as subtle manipulation by an author to influence an audience's point of view? Is this the art of debate, to pose a compelling viewpoint of a subject from a particular angle?

What if facts are twisted to fit the argument, and, if this might be so, how would you know, unless you are familiar with the subject matter? In the journey for truth I witnessed, I did notice that the person needed to double check statements that were given as fact, as some of the videos would state subjects as fact that, on a bit of research, proved to be false. A charismatic speaker may seem to have a compelling argument, but are the facts correct? Yet on saying all this, I do believe what may seem like an untruth to me, may merely be someone else's opinion from that person's point of view, and will be truth for that person.

What do I believe the lesson is? Research topics, double check facts and decide what you believe and don't adopt someone else's viewpoint blindly, as it is posed from that person's point of view and might phrased as a different truth to what might be true for you.