How to Debate

In episode #254, former world champion debater Bo Seo chats with Trey Elling about GOOD ARGUMENTS: HOW DEBATE TEACHES US TO LISTEN AND BE HEARD. Topics include: 0:00 Intro 0:27 Bo's goal with the book 2:30 Why disagreement is valuable in human interaction 4:52 Bo's outright avoidance of conflict changing in 2005 10:38 The importance of topic analysis for debate 15:49 Why 'truth' and 'importance' are debate's two burdens of proof to convince a listener 28:14 Counterclaims as an embodiment for justifiable hope, according to Aristotle 32:02 Why rhetoric has such a negative connotation, and what good rhetoric looks like 37:02 Four qualifications that determine whether an argument is worth pursuing 44:46 How to disarm a name-calling bully in a debate 48:10 The greatest lesson he learned while coaching debate 54:42 Side-switching as another tool to prepare for debate