Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Edidin, Aron
Keywords
Super Smash Bros, Political Argument, Philosophy
Area of Concentration
Philosophy
Abstract
People are often inclined to get into political arguments, but it is not always clear why we bother. In this thesis, I establish a provisional definition for what makes an argument political, explore reasons why political arguments may be more vitriolic than their nonpolitical counterparts, and lay out a set of reasons why a person might want to start a political debate. I determine that the main reason will generally be to move an opponent's position slightly toward one's own. Once I have established some better and worse reasons for arguing, I look into ways that unequal power dynamics cause many arguments to be unfair. I suggest ways to mitigate unfair arguing practices with categorical rules of thumb, employing Miranda Fricker's Epistemic Injustice to support a virtue ethical account of avoiding arguing unfairly. My final chapter is an extended case study. I trace out a lengthy argument between four players of a popular series of video games. I analyze these arguments in part using the techniques developed in the first two chapters, as well as making some observations about expertise and the role of extreme positions in contextualizing debates between relative moderates.
Recommended Citation
Mills, Justis, "It's a Brawl out There: Notes on Political Argument and a Super Smash Bros Dialogue" (2013). Theses & ETDs. 6774.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/6774
Rights
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