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.Write a res

On first glace it may appear that the best test of an argument is its ability to convince someone with an opposing viewpoint, but all reasons to believe so can be refuted. People argue with each other for various reasons, sometimes it could lead to a productive result or it could just be a clash of egos. However if the argument doesn't lead to a constructive conclusion then its better to not have the argument in the first place.

Arguments begin when people with conflicting ideas present their opinions, discussing which could be better and which may not, the whole point of argument is to lead to a productive conclusions. However if people believe that their abilty to convince others is at stake then the argument is no longer productive and boils down to tirade of pompous speeches, instead people should view arguments as another perspective to same issue and accept criticism if needed.

Further, people involved in an argument often get emotionally attached to their stand. Often arguer may become hostile in the process if he/she feels they need to defend an idea at any cost. An instance of this is when political arguments occur, partisans often become hostile when they feel their party's views are being diminified, instead of taking the criticism as constructive the argument could lead to physical asaults or riots in some grave circumstances.

However, detractors may reason that only by being forced to defend an idea against contrasting views does the arguer himself discover the complete value of idea. If discovering the value of idea is the motive here then the arguer shouldn't feel forced in defending his or her own view, if the arguer resorts to putting all his or her effort in opposing the opponent’s viewpoint then the whole purpose of having the argument fails.

Ultimately, the main purpose of any argument should be understanding the idea under scrutiny from all perspectives, this may involve accepting new views or abandoning one's own notion of what's better. Instead if the argument comes down to proving the views of contrasting party as wrong, then the argument would never stop and only remain as clash of words.