Debate for Beginners with Harvard's Former Debate Coach Bo So
Bo So, a two-time world debate champion and author, believes that our public discussions are in crisis. In his book Good Arguments, So seeks to cultivate a culture of productive communication rather than divisive arguments, emphasizing the need to teach argumentation, the importance of debate format, and building relationships despite differences. He advocates the use of diverse and extensive sources of information to maintain the quality of discussions, and believes that personal experiences, such as his time living abroad, can enhance understanding and broaden perspectives. GOOD ARGUMENT 0:00 Meet Bo Seo 0:18 What inspired you to write your book, “Good Arguments”? 2:18 What are some effective debate models from history? 7:23 What is it about competitive debate that resonates with you most? 10:31 What’s the danger of letting cable TV hosts debate issues for us? DEBATE SKILLS 14:10 How do you listen to opposing arguments? 17:19 What is the RISA framework you use when in a disagreement with someone? 22:29 How do you choose which details in an argument to respond to? 24:26 What are side-switching exercises? 29:17 What subjects should we not debate? 31:38 How should we approach a social media debate? 33:09 What is the psychology behind liking or disliking to argue? 36:39 Why are disagreements with loved ones the most painful? 38:04 Why is agreeing better than disagreeing? THE DARK ARTS: DEBATING AGAINST BULLIES 39:36 What makes rhetoric so powerful? 43:26 What are the three principles of rhetoric? 45:49 What is Schopenhauer’s Eristic Dialectic and why is it useful? 49:22 Why are we susceptible to ‘dark art’ debaters? 51:08 What were your thoughts on the 2016 presidential debates? 54:21 What are the four ‘debate bullies’? 1:00:52 How do you defeat a debate bully? 1:09:12 Why are our differences important? About Bo So: Bo So is a two-time World Debate Champion, a former coach for the Australian National Debate Team and the Harvard College Debate Union. As one of the most recognizable figures in the global debate community, he has won both the World High School Debate Championship and the World University Debate Championship. Bo has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, CNN, and many other publications. He has worked as a national reporter for the Australian Financial Review and has been a regular contributor to the Australian debate program The Drum. Bo graduated with honors from Harvard University and earned a master's degree in public policy from Tsinghua University. He is currently a student at Harvard Law School.
Bo So, a two-time world debate champion and author, believes that our public discussions are in crisis. In his book Good Arguments, So seeks to cultivate a culture of productive communication rather than divisive arguments, emphasizing the need to teach argumentation, the importance of debate format, and building relationships despite differences. He advocates the use of diverse and extensive sources of information to maintain the quality of discussions, and believes that personal experiences, such as his time living abroad, can enhance understanding and broaden perspectives. GOOD ARGUMENT 0:00 Meet Bo Seo 0:18 What inspired you to write your book, “Good Arguments”? 2:18 What are some effective debate models from history? 7:23 What is it about competitive debate that resonates with you most? 10:31 What’s the danger of letting cable TV hosts debate issues for us? DEBATE SKILLS 14:10 How do you listen to opposing arguments? 17:19 What is the RISA framework you use when in a disagreement with someone? 22:29 How do you choose which details in an argument to respond to? 24:26 What are side-switching exercises? 29:17 What subjects should we not debate? 31:38 How should we approach a social media debate? 33:09 What is the psychology behind liking or disliking to argue? 36:39 Why are disagreements with loved ones the most painful? 38:04 Why is agreeing better than disagreeing? THE DARK ARTS: DEBATING AGAINST BULLIES 39:36 What makes rhetoric so powerful? 43:26 What are the three principles of rhetoric? 45:49 What is Schopenhauer’s Eristic Dialectic and why is it useful? 49:22 Why are we susceptible to ‘dark art’ debaters? 51:08 What were your thoughts on the 2016 presidential debates? 54:21 What are the four ‘debate bullies’? 1:00:52 How do you defeat a debate bully? 1:09:12 Why are our differences important? About Bo So: Bo So is a two-time World Debate Champion, a former coach for the Australian National Debate Team and the Harvard College Debate Union. As one of the most recognizable figures in the global debate community, he has won both the World High School Debate Championship and the World University Debate Championship. Bo has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, CNN, and many other publications. He has worked as a national reporter for the Australian Financial Review and has been a regular contributor to the Australian debate program The Drum. Bo graduated with honors from Harvard University and earned a master's degree in public policy from Tsinghua University. He is currently a student at Harvard Law School.