Arguments can be valid, yet unsound. Conclusions can be sound, but untrue. Logically, what is it that makes an argument good?
In anticipation of all the scripted one-liners and predictable barbs to come in the presidential debates, HuffPost Live explored what makes any debate great, as well what to look for when deciding who and what to believe.
“The research shows that voters observe impressions much more than facts,” said Alfred Snider, Director of the World Debate Institute. “And the way they determine who won the debate is not based on the kind of criteria that you would use in judging an academic debate.”
Host Josh Zepps and Snider delve into how debates are debated and how arguments are won with Lewis Gordon, a professor of philosophy at Temple University, Nina Kallen, an attorney, and Ilana Rice, champion debater with Columbia University’s Debating Society.