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> The central fact about child rearing by my parents was the equal intellectual status of everyone in the family. My sister and I did not get a vote on the fami
by RcouF1uZ4gsC 2y ago
> The central fact about child rearing by my parents was the equal intellectual status of everyone in the family. My sister and I did not get a vote on the family budget; we were not the ones who had earned the money. But in any disagreement the question was always who had good arguments, not who was older.
That belief implies that:
1) All relevant knowledge about something can be expressed as arguments.
2) There is a canonical way to interpret arguments
Most of the important things worth arguing about cannot be expressed a pure logical syllogisms. Assumptions and relative weights are very subjective.
There is also the existence of sophistry, where logic is used not to enlighten but to hide.
For example, I may have some disagreements with Anders Hejlsberg about language design. Even if I present a better argument about something, you would probably be better off taking into consideration Anders' view over mine.
- ip26 2y agoIt also implies that: 3) Children never argue in bad faith (e.g. as a hourslong stalling tactic at bedtime) 4) Children never argue during time sensitive disagreements (e.g. why do I have to get out of the street!?) 5) Children understand probability and risk-benefit analysis (e.g. why shouldn't I play the knife game, I'm not going to cut myself and it's fun) I've also discovered leaving everything open to debate and having to convince kids of everything leaves them unprepared for life around authority figures. It is not appropriate to argue with an on-duty lifeguard about basic water safety, but a kid who has never had to follow a single command or order will try.
- s1artibartfast 2y agoI guess it depends on the children. It is a good strategy for intelligent and respectful children who are capable of managing all of these factors.
- dclowd9901 2y agoNot sure why you’re being downvoted. I just spent 5 minutes arguing with my 2 year old about 1) why she needed to go to bed (it’s 10:20), and 2) why she needed to take her hands out of her nighttime diaper. To which, she rebutted with a “no” and no further discussion on her position. Guess I’m just not breaking down my argument well enough (gigantic fucking eyeroll).