What I found most interesting is in Epstein’s Chapter 11 on Fallacies. In regular argument or debate, I believe people regularly violate the principle of rational discussion as explained in the book.
The “Strawman” fallacy is really common actually, as it is easier to put words in other people’s mouths than to find the words to put into your own sometimes. For example, I will be telling my parents, “I didn’t have time to clean my room because I went out last night.” Thus, they respond, “So going out is more important than cleaning you room?”
Clearly, that’s not what I claimed, but it’s common to take things out of context and represent them as something else.
Violating the principle of rational discussion is where things can get heated in argument. I liked that in the end of the chapter, it was explained that we are seekers of wisdom and instead of quarrel in argument, we want to calmly debate and educate.
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