Bulverism

Somewhere in the midst of Lewis’s essay on Bulverism he makes a comment about how the modern method of argument is to and I quote “assume without discussion that he is wrong and then distract his attention from this (the only real issue) by busily explaining how he became to be so silly.” However the part that I find interesting is that there is a note that has been added in stating that the essay was written in 1941. As casual of a note as this might be I think that it is sheer arrogance on our part to assume that this “modern method” is a thing of the past which we have left behind us. I believe that if you read the blogs of other students as I have no one truly believes that this is something that we have left in 1941. In the people in our class who I have read use the same all be it more specific examples as CS Lewis about being in every political debate that they have ever seen. I must agree with my comrades in blog nothing has changed in debate or the political world (not exactly true cough WWII cough) since 1941 and politics at least in America is nothing more than a contest of whose wife looks prettier on television. There are studies out there that prove since the invention of television voters have chosen the president based on the looks of him or his wife instead of on their values. Along these same lines I came across a man on the street study during this previous election where a series of voters who had stated that they would be voting for Obama were asked a series of questions. The questions were something like is it (in reference to are you voting for him) his strong stances against gun control, abortion, his decision to stay in the war until we have won, or his choice of Sarah Palin as his vice president that made you want to vote for him, and most if not all of the people shown did not recognize that none of those things were his policies but those of his opponent. Though as I have gotten away from it my point is this just like in 1941 people do not listen to the actual argument anymore nor do they have actual arguments but instead attack the other side and hope that their voice is last or loudest. Finally we should not assume that whatever our way is better than the way of the past simply because it is newer if we do that we are bound simply to keep on repeating mistakes without moving forward.