" The argument is similar to the shot of a crossbow, it is just as effective directed at a giant as at a dwarf."
Sir Francis Bacon.
We are currently experiencing a peace process never seen before, neither in Colombia nor in any other part of the world, with the guarantees of international entities that observe the matter from a different perspective, even from us, the most benefited or affected.
There has been too much talk about this issue, some with pessimism, others very positivist and others more skeptical.However, it would be pertinent to present a reflection about the way in which this is being carried out in schools, where students are highly influenced by the media and it is difficult to distinguish between the truth and the falsity of certain "political" arguments. Given this, a question arises: in our schools and colleges is it being taught to argue or differentiate between an argument and a fallacy in the speeches of our representatives and politicians? Should we learn to argue and differentiate between what is true and what is false shown by the news managed by the political elite?
Precisely the American Martha Craven Nussbaum in the book: “Non-Profit. Why democracy needs the humanities ”, carries out an analysis of how education is developed and experienced, not only in the United States, but also in Colombia and in the rest of the“ third world ”countries that depend on the policies that govern the Bank World and other international organizations, where neoliberalism increasingly leads and chains the thoughts and lives of the less favored.
It is important to highlight how since ancient times Socrates already envisioned and cared about the content in education and the way in which it is imparted in society; If the ancient Greece in which Socrates lived was tainted by the manipulation and oppression of those who have power, imagine how it will be now where rivalries for having and maintaining it corrupt this capitalist society even more every day.
Argument is a "weapon" that we can have in our favor, not only to dominate or be respected, admired and even feared, but also as an opportunity to make ourselves understood without belittling the other, but also to place ourselves in the shoes of those who listen to us, because definitely if you are not sure that the listener understands, you will not have been able to truly impact the other, in this way you would be a phony, an idol of crowds that follow only the voice of the speaker but not a subject that can help them transform their world.
Unfortunately, there are many cases where people only listen to that leading voice, follow it and even repeat its arguments, but are empty and lacking in logical and independent understanding, unable to distinguish between what is real and what is unreal, between what is true and what is false.. We see this on a daily basis in our country with the assertions of some far-right politicians who are capable of gathering enraptured crowds who forget the reality of the country and deny it worst.
Colombia continues to be plagued by the debauchery of those who manipulate the mentality of those who only follow each other by "the information veins of base power" of the private television channels, who were its great benefactors in the campaigns that brought them to power. Precisely Nussbaum quotes a phrase that takes on great importance here: "Our mind does not obtain true freedom by acquiring knowledge materials, nor by possessing other people's ideas, but by forming its own criteria of judgment and producing its own thoughts" (Rabindranath), is the education that increasingly loaded with content and pragmatic subjects, it leads to a compendium of rhetorical knowledge, but little analysis of what happens in reality.
An answer to these problems is given by Socrates in his ancient Greece, (to whom the American goes to highlight the importance of knowing how to argue) because for him, reasoning was fundamental, since this could lead us to avoid errors, deaths and massacres, (as the writing of Thucydides tells us the "History of the Peloponnesian War"), in this way our history and of course in our daily life would be different because definitely "who does not know his history is condemned to repeat it"...
Teachers have a great task to teach students to be free thinkers, but we recognize how difficult it is today, where more and more we have to stick to a previously stipulated thematic manual, without taking into account the reality of our environment. But only the brave like Socrates, (who gave his life for a free-thinking education), will be able to generate so many expectations in today's youth. How to achieve that goal? Socrates teaches us that with a good argumentation we can open the world, everything begins there precisely, that is why the argumentative practice is fundamental since it teaches us to identify premises that can be false or true, once we have achieved that we can then go deeper in that analysis.
The study presented by the American Martha Craven Nussbaum is relevant since it tells us where we can consult a biography and texts to cover the subject, so much so that it suggests philosophy for children, we know that Socrates prefers to teach young people, because they have the mind more open and willing to question and question. We must also highlight the Socratic values of the good citizen: an active, critical, curious being capable of resisting her peers, in this way we will have young people less induced to drugs, alcohol or prostitution, etc; our society demands it of us, we must be “prepared to prepare” the man or woman of tomorrow with a capacity to discern, to argue and to be free thinkersHence, we will be able to have people in politics and not politicians, people who choose their representatives well, good citizens, who can put themselves in the place of the other, argue and not harm with hurtful words or sarcasm as certain leaders of political parties that threaten coexistence in peace and generate hatred instead of what they try to promote with their hands on their hearts; In this way it will be possible to transform this society, but it is not only about transforming society, because the first change is in us, we have to be authentic, real, active people and above all not take away the possibility of being more and more human and less technical., more peaceful and less bellicose, lovers of love and not of hatred and wars.
