Debate Is More Than Arguing

Debating has become a thing in the Philippines. There are thousands of debaters nationwide who involve themselves in the sport of critical thinking. Debating in the Philippines is now more than just a sport, it is now a community of people of different background coming together to enjoy healthy discussion, and believe me, it can change you.

Contrary to what people think, debates are not screaming matches, or rounds insulting one another. Debates are formal, organized discussions. And there are formats: British Parliamentary format, Asian Parliamentary format, and Oxford-Oregon format. All of which are being practiced in the Philippines.

Many schools and institutions all over the country have debate teams and organizations that allow the students to fully indulge themselves in the culture of debating. Some have even made it their advocacy to spread debating all through their respective regions.

Not only do these students debate among themselves, but there are competitions held all throughout the country that allow different schools to compete against one another. What’s even better is that these are all student-organized.

So what exactly are the benefits people can get from debating? Debating teaches us how to properly argue. There is more to arguments than just words being thrown around. Proper arguments require explanation, proof, and most of all, staying in topic.

One reason why arguments turns into fights is that conversations mutate and suddenly, what you are arguing now may not be the topic that started your discussion in the first place. In proper debating, you are taught how to organize your thoughts and putting them into logical statements that directly responds to what the other person just talked about. It teaches you control.

Now, because of this control, you can now distinguish what he’s arguing for and what you’re willing to argue for. Sometimes, you may just be defending the same thing but with different angles. Debate teaches you how to distinguish these and discern.

But most of all, one thing debate can teach you, is calm, rational, productive discussion – one that doesn’t ruin friendships. We can see this all throughout Facebook and Twitter where friendships are destroyed because of clashing opinions. When you debate competitively, the skills that you have learned can be easily applied in real life. You can now engage in healthy logical discussions that doesn’t involve calling your friend an idiot.

If you’re in a school with a debate team, you can try checking them out. These kids can be cool.