Stanley Fish, a literary theorist and legal scholar, argues that arguments, a common phenomenon in our time, are not merely a problem or a means of persuasion but an essential part of the human experience. According to Fish, we live in a world where arguments are omnipresent and unavoidable; they are the medium through which we navigate our lives.
The Starting Point: No Need to Avoid Arguments
Fish begins by asserting that argument is the "medium we swim in," emphasizing its pervasive presence in human interactions. He challenges the belief that arguments can ever be fully resolved or eliminated. Instead, he suggests that the clash of opposing views is a natural and perpetual condition. This idea resonates with the understanding that humans, bound by their limited perspectives, are incapable of achieving universal truth or complete agreement. Therefore, every statement made is inherently an argument, open to challenge and debate from various angles.
Knowledge and Truth in Arguments
One of Fish's most significant assertions is that knowledge and truth do not exist independently of discussion and argument. There is no external, fixed truth that one side aligns with more than the other. Instead, truth and knowledge are products of arguments, continuously renegotiated and redefined through the process of debate. This approach, similar to that of Michel Foucault, challenges traditional views that see truth as an objective reality waiting to be discovered. In Fish's view, truth is constructed through a continuous process of argument, where no final resolution is ever truly achieved.
The Futility of Searching for an End to Debate
Fish also addresses the desire many have to find common ground or a neutral algorithm that can end arguments once and for all and determine who is truly right. He describes this as a futile effort, a dream that has persisted throughout history but remains unattainable. The idea of refining language or creating a perfect communication system that filters out biases and prejudices is, in Fish's view, a misguided hope. Instead, he urges acceptance of the fact that we are limited creatures, bound by our partial views and forever engaged in arguments. To be human is to argue, and I argue, therefore I am.
The Constitutive Power of Arguments
According to Fish, arguments play a crucial role in shaping the reality they are concerned with. He draws on the concept of "constitutive rhetoric," which suggests that discussion and rhetoric are not just tools of persuasion but are foundational in creating the world as we know it. In other words, the world we live in is a product of the arguments we engage in. This idea radically shifts the understanding of rhetoric from a mere decorative art to a fundamental force that constructs the very categories through which we understand the world and ourselves. By recognizing that we live in a world of argument, where truth and knowledge are constantly in motion and negotiation, Fish invites us to engage more deeply with the debates that shape our lives, accepting that the process of argument is never-ending and always evolving.