Claim: The best test of an argument is its ability to convince someone with an opposingviewpoint.Reason: Only by being forced to defend an idea against the doubts and contrastingviews of others does one really discover the value of that idea.

Essay topics:

Claim: The best test of an argument is its ability to convince someone with an opposing

viewpoint.

Reason: Only by being forced to defend an idea against the doubts and contrasting

views of others does one really discover the value of that idea.

Submitted by kielassaf on Sun, 11/03/2019 - 01:03

As an undergraduate college student, I have come to understand that many of my

peers are very emotionally attached to their opinions and political viewpoints. While

a gut reaction may tell you that what you believe is correct, that initial instinct is not

sufficient in backing up an opinion or idea. In a court of law, or in a debate, one must

use rational reasoning and clear, specific examples when arguing a side. Oftentimes,

one does not realize how well (or, conversely, how little) one knows a subject until

those ideas are challenged. It is through debate, and through the process of being

challenged by an opposing viewpoint, that one really begins to understand why they

believe what they believe, and how intellectually sound those reasons are.

Many times, over the course of my education, I have come into contact with those

whose viewpoints differ from my own. I consider myself to be a person with an open

mind, and I enjoy debate with others who value different sides of an argument than I

do. In those conversations with others, it is easy to tell who is educated on a topic, and

who has had a gut, emotional reaction to the issue being discussed. Those who know

about the topic use specific examples to explain why they feel the way they do. Those

who don’t sometimes resort to more emotional persuasive methods, and sometimes

the discussion can become heated.

It is through discussions such as these that I have been able to shape my own

opinions and viewpoints on current social issues. I appreciate being challenged

by my peers or someone who is “playing devil’s advocate” because, through that

process, I am able to really examine the motives behind my beliefs. Sometimes, I

have encountered discussions that have led me to realize that I simply do not know

enough about a topic to hold a valid discussion about it. Other times, I have realized

that I am well-versed on the subject, and my opinion or viewpoint is logically sound.

While I agree that this process of challenge is valuable in the formation and upholding

of personal viewpoints and opinions, I do not believe that a person should enter into a

conversation with the specific purpose of persuading others to change their opinions.

Opinions are highly personal, and each person has a reason to believe what they do. It

is valuable to question beliefs and opinions, but it is not constructive to feel that your

opinion is best and others need to believe what you believe or be considered wrong. I

think that there must exist a balance between questioning the beliefs of others and being

able to understand why other people believe what they believe. It is more important

to be able to understand another person’s perspective on a subject than it is to change

their mind. In other words, you may disagree with someone, but it is important to be

able to see why they believe what they believe. This promotes a well-roundedness that is

important in intellectual discussion, and, indeed, in many areas of life.

Though the best test of an argument is challenge (and the subsequent ability to meet

the challenge of defense or question the validity of the original opinion), I do not necessarily

believe that the challenge must involve convincing someone with an opposing viewpoint

that you are correct. You may challenge the idea of others—and be challenged—without

feeling as though you must change the minds of others. While discussion of this type may

result in changing someone’s mind, I don’t believe that that should be the goal. The goal

of such a discussion should be to share thoughts and ideas, to uphold your own ideas, and

to challenge ideas that may be based on emotion or instinct. In this way, we may grow

intellectually in an amiable way without stunting the growth of those around us.

Votes
Average: 6.6 (1 vote)
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Comments

Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 3, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Peers
...ve come to understand that many of my peers are very emotionally attached to their ...
^^^^^
Line 7, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Sufficient
...correct, that initial instinct is not sufficient in backing up an opinion or idea. In a ...
^^^^^^^^^^
Line 9, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Use
...ourt of law, or in a debate, one must use rational reasoning and clear, specific ...
^^^
Line 13, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Those
... how little one knows a subject until those ideas are challenged. It is through deb...
^^^^^
Line 17, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Believe
... really begins to understand why they believe what they believe, and how intellectual...
^^^^^^^
Line 21, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Whose
..., I have come into contact with those whose viewpoints differ from my own. I consid...
^^^^^
Line 21, column 1, Rule ID: SENTENCE_FRAGMENT[1]
Message: “whose” at the beginning of a sentence requires a 2nd clause. Maybe a comma, question or exclamation mark is missing, or the sentence is incomplete and should be joined with the following sentence.
..., I have come into contact with those whose viewpoints differ from my own. I consid...
^^^^^
Line 25, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Do
...different sides of an argument than I do. In those conversations with others, it...
^^
Line 27, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Who
... tell who is educated on a topic, and who has had a gut, emotional reaction to th...
^^^
Line 29, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: About
...issue being discussed. Those who know about the topic use specific examples to expl...
^^^^^
Line 33, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: The
...nal persuasive methods, and sometimes the discussion can become heated. It is t...
^^^
Line 37, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Opinions
...that I have been able to shape my own opinions and viewpoints on current social issues...
^^^^^^^^
Line 41, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Process
... advocate' because, through that process, I am able to really examine the motive...
^^^^^^^
Line 45, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Enough
... to realize that I simply do not know enough about a topic to hold a valid discussio...
^^^^^^
Line 47, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: That
...bout it. Other times, I have realized that I am well-versed on the subject, and my...
^^^^
Line 53, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Conversation
...eve that a person should enter into a conversation with the specific purpose of persuading...
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 59, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Opinion
...is not constructive to feel that your opinion is best and others need to believe what...
^^^^^^^
Line 63, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Able
...oning the beliefs of others and being able to understand why other people believe ...
^^^^
Line 67, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Their
...ive on a subject than it is to change their mind. In other words, you may disagree ...
^^^^^
Line 69, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Able
...th someone, but it is important to be able to see why they believe what they belie...
^^^^
Line 71, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Important
...s promotes a well-roundedness that is important in intellectual discussion, and, indeed...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 79, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: That
...ng someone with an opposing viewpoint that you are correct. You may challenge the ...
^^^^
Line 81, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Feeling
...a of others—and be challenged—without feeling as though you must change the minds of ...
^^^^^^^
Line 81, column 56, Rule ID: SENTENCE_FRAGMENT[1]
Message: “While” at the beginning of a sentence requires a 2nd clause. Maybe a comma, question or exclamation mark is missing, or the sentence is incomplete and should be joined with the following sentence.
...gh you must change the minds of others. While discussion of this type may result in...
^^^^^
Line 83, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Result
...rs. While discussion of this type may result in changing someone's mind, I don&...
^^^^^^
Line 87, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: To
... ideas, to uphold your own ideas, and to challenge ideas that may be based on em...
^^
Line 89, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Intellectually
...or instinct. In this way, we may grow intellectually in an amiable way without stunting the ...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 89, column 16, Rule ID: IN_A_X_MANNER[1]
Message: Consider replacing "in an amiable way" with adverb for "amiable"; eg, "in a hasty manner" with "hastily".
... this way, we may grow intellectually in an amiable way without stunting the growth of those ar...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Transition Words or Phrases used:
but, conversely, if, may, really, so, well, while, such as, in other words

Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments

Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 35.0 19.5258426966 179% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 15.0 12.4196629213 121% => OK
Conjunction : 29.0 14.8657303371 195% => OK
Relative clauses : 27.0 11.3162921348 239% => Less relative clauses wanted (maybe 'which' is over used).
Pronoun: 88.0 33.0505617978 266% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 88.0 58.6224719101 150% => OK
Nominalization: 11.0 12.9106741573 85% => OK

Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 3292.0 2235.4752809 147% => OK
No of words: 652.0 442.535393258 147% => Less content wanted.
Chars per words: 5.0490797546 5.05705443957 100% => OK
Fourth root words length: 5.05314661074 4.55969084622 111% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.92405471503 2.79657885939 105% => OK
Unique words: 280.0 215.323595506 130% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.429447852761 0.4932671777 87% => More unique words wanted or less content wanted.
syllable_count: 1003.5 704.065955056 143% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.5 1.59117977528 94% => OK

A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 28.0 6.24550561798 448% => Less pronouns wanted as sentence beginning.
Article: 4.0 4.99550561798 80% => OK
Subordination: 5.0 3.10617977528 161% => OK
Conjunction: 11.0 1.77640449438 619% => Less conjunction wanted as sentence beginning.
Preposition: 14.0 4.38483146067 319% => Less preposition wanted as sentence beginnings.

Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 26.0 20.2370786517 128% => OK
Sentence length: 25.0 23.0359550562 109% => OK
Sentence length SD: 47.7091161448 60.3974514979 79% => OK
Chars per sentence: 126.615384615 118.986275619 106% => OK
Words per sentence: 25.0769230769 23.4991977007 107% => OK
Discourse Markers: 2.84615384615 5.21951772744 55% => More transition words/phrases wanted.
Paragraphs: 45.0 4.97078651685 905% => Less paragraphs wanted.
Language errors: 28.0 7.80617977528 359% => Less language errors wanted.
Sentences with positive sentiment : 14.0 10.2758426966 136% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 4.0 5.13820224719 78% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 8.0 4.83258426966 166% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?

Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.215667244792 0.243740707755 88% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.061314310221 0.0831039109588 74% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0611819517011 0.0758088955206 81% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.0510189741151 0.150359130593 34% => Maybe some paragraphs are off the topic.
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0621210881367 0.0667264976115 93% => OK

Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 14.9 14.1392134831 105% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 54.56 48.8420337079 112% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.92365168539 111% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 11.9 12.1743820225 98% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.31 12.1639044944 101% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.12 8.38706741573 97% => OK
difficult_words: 134.0 100.480337079 133% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 11.0 11.8971910112 92% => OK
gunning_fog: 12.0 11.2143820225 107% => OK
text_standard: 12.0 11.7820224719 102% => OK
What are above readability scores?

---------------------
Write the essay in 30 minutes.
Maximum six paragraphs wanted.

Rates: 66.67 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 4.0 Out of 6
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.