Why Argument Matters

by Lee Siegel

Hailed by the New York Times as a book that “examines the role that argument has played throughout history and how it has shaped human existence”
 
“An invigorating reflection on the nature and value of disagreement. . . . Sharp and taut. . . . A lesson in a well-constructed argument itself.”— Publishers Weekly , starred review
 
“Perhaps more than any other commentary, Why Argument Matters illuminates the root causes of our partisan, venomous, irrational times—and yet somehow rescues from the morass the true nature of argument, its power and beauty.”—Michael Wolff, author of  Fire and Inside the Trump White House
 
From Eve’s crafty exchange with the serpent, to Martin Luther King Jr.’s soaring, subtle ultimatums, to the throes of Twitter—argument’s drainpipe—the human desire to prevail with words has been not just a moral but an existential compulsion. In this dazzling reformulation of argument, renowned critic Lee Siegel portrays the true art of argument as much deeper and far more embracing than mere quarrel, dispute, or debate. It is the supreme expression of humanity’s longing for a better life, born of empathy and of care for the world and those who inhabit it.
 
With wit, passion, and striking insights, Siegel plumbs the emotional and psychological sources of clashing words, weaving through his exploration the untold story of the role argument has played in societies throughout history. Each life, he maintains, is an argument for that particular way of living; every individual style of argument is also a case that is being made for that person’s right to argue. Argument is at the heart of the human experience, and language, at its most liberated and expressive, inexorably bends toward argument.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook

160 pages, Hardcover

Published February 22, 2022

About the author

Lee Siegel is a New York writer and cultural critic who has written for Harper's, The New Republic, The Nation, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and many other publications. Siegel is a senior editor at The New Republic and lives in New York City with his wife and son.

In September 2006, Siegel was temporarily suspended from The New Republic, after an internal investigation determined he was participating in misleading comments in the magazine's "Talkback" section, in response to anonymous attackers on his blog at The New Republic's website. The comments were made through the device of a "sock puppet" dubbed "sprezzatura", who, as one reader noted, was a consistently vigorous defender of Siegel, and who specifically denied being Siegel when challenged by an anonymous detractor in "Talkback." In response to readers who had criticized Siegel's negative comments about TV talk show host Jon Stewart, 'sprezzatura' wrote, "Siegel is brave, brilliant, and wittier than Stewart will ever be. Take that, you bunch of immature, abusive sheep." The New Republic posted an apology and shut down Siegel's blog. In an interview with the New York Times Magazine, Siegel dismissed the incident as a "prank." He resumed writing for The New Republic in April 2007. Siegel's critique of Web culture, entitled Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob, was published in January 2008.

Reviews

[Chris Boutté · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started out great, and the author did an awesome job explaining different styles of argument and the importance of argument. I grabbed this book from Siegel because it was short, and I also think it’s important for people to be able to form good arguments for defending their ideas and changing minds. Unfortunately, it felt like this book went off the rails about halfway through and didn’t feel super coherent. It almost felt like they just needed to meet a word count. But, it’s a super short book, so if you’re interested, check it out.

[Audrey Blandford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I wanted. Too much Greek philosophy and history and not enough social science. Was b-o-r-I-n-g! Haha would not recommend but I did learn a lot about the history of arguments so if you are looking for that, I would in fact recommend this book!

[Mark Eleveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, the series from Yale Press is excellent. I enjoyed the Lionel Trilling book from the same series. Lee's book is delightful. The source informal presentation of the source material alone is worth the read - he counter balance between the Iliad and Shakespeare near the end, and his use of Salinger's Seymour; Lee is well read, well balanced and thoughtful. Mostly, I am intrigued by his mission (and I think of Agnes Callard here as well) in which the very vital life strings that humanity pulls are interwoven by the complexities of argument. If Graff's "Everything is an Argument" sets the table, Siegel's "Why Argument Matters" is the dish. I highly recommend this title.

[Kamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siegel writes poetically that asserted ideas, including art and literature, are arguments. He makes a deeply intellectual case for why argument matters and how the social context valuing logic, reason, and goodwill seems to be diminishing. His book is a pensive and urgent appeal to appreciating argument. Feels like graduate school reading. Slightly fun but mostly work.

[Marc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ironically this book did not accomplished on arguing why argument matters. This was disorganize nonsense that went off the rail.

I picked it up because 1) it's Nonfiction November, 2) I'm teaching debate currently and wanted some context in teaching it 3) it was short. But wow. quite disappointed reading for my 120 read this year.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this was interesting and had some salient points and comparisons that I liked, but it also kind of felt like reading a paper for a psychology class in college that you only sort of understand lol. Interesting concept for a series of short books though!

[Dhaval · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read.
I am going to the store.

[Avajane Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why the hate this book is FIRE