Research Paper on Argumentation: Causes, Effects & Its Role in Human Interaction

Introduction

Argumentation is one of the main factors that define human interaction, and as such, it is a common occurrence in the daily life of human beings. While argumentation can get tiresome, it is one of the ways that the human mind and other aspects of human life become interesting. Disagreements usually lead to argumentation, and while most people prefer not to argue to arguing, sometimes it is inevitable, and this leads to charged conflicts between people. The main cause of disagreements, however, runs deeper than one would care to explore. People disagree on myriad things stemming from differences in opinion, facts and sometimes emotional entanglements (Heiner et al., 2016). If people, however, stayed conscious of the facts rather than their individual beliefs, there would be fewer disagreements in the world. People need to accept that they can achieve the same effect if they could only agree that conflict does not necessarily have to end in disagreements but rather a reasonable expectation getting somewhere.

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The matter of disagreement is especially rife in the religious settings where while liberal societies provide freedoms concerning a variety of issues, religion has more close-ended conclusions to matters. The close-ended type of interaction and matters concerning religion often leads to disagreements, which are numerous in such settings. Religious diversity has always been a hotly contested topic among philosophers and other intelligent individuals who have an interest in religious epistemology (Kraft, 2012). To this end, this essay aims to bring to light the matters that steer religious disagreements and the eventual solutions that may influence the commonalities between the warring parties. In the end, the essay describes how epistemologists and other relevant parties may agree to disagree about religious matters.

The issue of religious disagreement has received a fair amount of attention in mainstream channels where the parties warring takes their grievances. The main reason for the widespread disagreements concerning religion is because of the divergent beliefs that various followers stick to in their various religious settings. Christians often disagree with others who are non-Christians over a host of fundamental issues. Christians are among the most vibrant people on this earth who get into epistemological altercations with others concerning their views on religion. They also disagree among themselves over a variety of issues that though, may be of the same faith, and have some issues that are not similar. It is for this reason that Christianity is rife with a lot of denominations which all claim to be the right way to the ultimate, which is having eternal life in the next world after the present (Cutsinger, 2010).

The fundamental point with regards to religious disagreement is that it poses a challenge to the issues concerning religion. Most people believe that religious disagreements are unjustified because of the wide, varied and regular disagreements that the contemporary people in this world form in their equally competent views of most religious matters (Fritz, 2018). In analysing religious disagreements, some fundamental points are of significance. One of these is that regardless of how smart a person is, religious issues still elude most people and thus, there are bound to be disagreements among the various people of diverse faiths and beliefs. Secondly, some fanatics blindly believe whatever their religious leader teaches them and this; they hold as a fact even when actual evidence points to the contrary. Thirdly, there are those people who are intellectually intelligent in both religious and fundamental truths about various matters but still choose to reject the truth whenever they face opposition from believers who hold divergent views from them. These three instances and scenarios are the main reasons for disagreements in religious settings and those concerning religious matters.

The other main reason as to why there are religious disagreements is that the evidence for Christianity is not compelling enough to lay to rest the questions that most people have concerning pertinent matters of the religion. The evidence that most peers and philosophers are using to argue out various issues concerning religion must be diverse and thus, the reason as to why there are many disagreements concerning significant aspects of the religion. To this end, the main question that comes to mind, therefore, is whether these divergent views concerning religion can find a lasting solution. If not, then can the various intellectuals and religious fanatics disagreeing on religious matters agree to disagree on fundamental matters? These two points are central to the theme of disagreeing to agree when it comes to religious matters in the contemporary era.

In resolving the issue of religious disagreements, it is important to draw attention to other significant subjects and disciplines. Such disciplines include the field of science, politics, economics and other relevant fields. In these subjects, most intellectuals and other peers of repute do not mind holding a minor position concerning fundamental issues. The case is, however, different in Christianity where the believers of the faith, intellectuals and other epistemological peers would prefer to have their way of having a minority position. These are some of the main reasons why Christians and other believers hardly agree to disagree on fundamental matters. There is a mountain of evidence pointing to the fact that Christianity as one of the faiths in the world esteem almost similar values, however, the followers of the faith seem to have divergent views on some issues. For instance, the Catholic Church holds stern opinions concerning the issue of abortion and pro-choice pregnancy. Other denominations that broke off from the Roman Catholic Church, however, seem to be pro-choice rather than pro-life, and therefore, these two seem to disagree on such matters which define Christian living daily (Kraft, 2012). The disagreements stem from divergent viewpoints concerning the various matters that inform Christian life and consequently, these lead to fallouts among followers of the same faith.

Therefore, it is important to analyse the various views that inform the decisions of believers, especially in the Christian faith. The disagreements that intellectuals, epistemological peers and other believers have concerning various aspects of Christianity stem from holding diverse views on fundamental truths. The evidence for Christianity and other relevant issues that inform the faith are more similar than diverse, and therefore, it is wise to say that arguments should be at the barest minimum. The case is, however different, meaning that Christians have various viewpoints concerning the same issues that inform their faith. As such, religious disagreements are evident and an ever-present phenomenon in the life of a Christian. For Christians and other intellectuals in the religious matters to agree on the fundamentals of the faith, there is a need to have similar points of view on significant matters. Epistemic peers need to be true to themselves in their quest for truth in the various matters concerning religion by truly looking at the same evidence in a logical manner. Christian arguments and other religious sentiments are the backbones of continuity of the faith; however, they must be constructive and therefore, conscious of the fact that not everyone will esteem similar views on a matter. Intellectuals need to thoughtfully consider the evidence that they come across in their encounters with religious arguments and points of view (Lackey, 2014).

It is important to take time and analyse the facts that are present before concluding a matter. Philosophers and other intellectuals in religious matters need to take their time in analysing the numerous pieces of evidence available in contemporary times, which are the main causes of disagreements among religious followers. It takes some level of intellect to analyse the views of the opposing party before delving into an agreement or a disagreement. Philosophers who steer religious conversations and arguments need to carefully consider all the evidence available to them before concluding the matters before them. In this case, rationality is important above all other factors that may inform religious conversations and arguments. All arguments should follow a rational method that is verifiable to allow for a robust conclusion of the significant issues on the table (Ringgenberg, 2011). Christianity and other religious faiths should not suffer because of some members who disagree in an uninformed way which will lead to serious consequences for the faith as a whole.

In light of the arguments presented in the preceding paragraphs, it is evident that most disagreements occur as a result of the parties involved not spending enough time in analysing the evidence presented before them. Religious matters need intellectual peers who can rationally analyse the facts before them rather than be emotional about their views concerning a matter. As such, disagreements in religious settings would be minimal if all the concerned parties followed this course of action. The case should be those epistemic peers who analyse religious arguments need to be rational in their decision. However, this is often not the way things roll out. Most people are a construct of the influences that they had when growing up and therefore, are prone to opinions that may not be rational or intellectual in any manner. There is a lot of input that goes into forming the belief systems that most people hold dear, and these systems and ideologies are difficult to break (Thune, 2010). As such, it is the reason for the presence of many arguments concerning religion and other significant matters which plague religious settings. There is only so much information that one can consider in a single lifetime and the ideas that one learnt while growing up often take centre stage of most arguments. It is for this reason then that there are many religious arguments which plague the religious realm and especially Christianity.

The limitations that various religious people have a significant impact on the arguments that they present before one another. Christianity and religion as a whole have a myriad of beliefs that inform various aspects of its followers' life and therefore, most believers do not follow, understand divergent points of view. The lack of understanding is one of the main reasons for the many disagreements that plague religious arguments which make it difficult for the parties involved to come to an agreement that is amicable for everyone. Religion is a wide subject, and the persons who try to study it often end up being lost with the more discoveries that they make. Another important factor in arguments concerning religion is the fact that human beings are not mere logic machines and therefore, are prone to external influences which may not have a logical background. One's upbringing and previous experiences have a strong impact on the belief formation, and so does the hopes, fears and desires of the religious person (Pittard, 2014). These factors affect how one argues and esteems various issues that inform religious life. A person who grew up in a Christian home where he/she learnt that God is the creator will always argue along with this point of view. God is the ultimate authority in the world and therefore, even in the absence of scientific evidence, the believer will hold steadfast to the fact that their belief is correct. Thus, the subject will not agree with a dissenting opinion that may be to the point that the unive...