The Art of Clarity

Clarity is both a skill and a discipline. Honing this talent is the mark of a critical mind possessing interpersonal intelligence. 

Formally, I identify this strategic mode of operation as practicing The Art of Clarity. The Art of Clarity is divided into two complimentary Principles: The Principles of Charity and Sincerity. For the sake of the blog format, this post will be abbreviated. For more scholarly work, including citations and academic references, please contact me.

Using these Principles in tandem has been extremely successful for me in seeking out the Truth with others. Be prepared to talk a while, though. Clarity emerges with persistent humility and eternal patience.

The Principle of Charity

This Principle, in its simplest understanding, is all about the suspension of prejudice and presumptions in debate for the sake of greater intellectual exchange.

 It says, when faced with a intellectual challenge in debate and conversation, be proactive and persistent about minimizing the automatic desire to dismiss the challenge due to the intellectual weakness of the challenge or the inconsistency of the challenger themselves. 

A wise man never dismisses or underestimates their opponent, despite the appearance of weakness. Infact, The Principle of Charity goes even further: Not only are you asked to ignore logical and rhetorical fallacies, but whenever applicable, use your overlapping knowledge to STRENGTHEN YOUR OPPONENTS ARGUMENT. Make it as strong as possible. Don't just point out fallacies and inconsistencies... Fix them FOR your opponent, without seeking to defeat their argument from within. It's a charitable act. It's the desire for equality before battle.

Ask questions. Seek clarification. Look up definitions. Fact check. Truly vet your opponent'a challenge. 

The Principle of Sincerity

Sincerity is the other side of the coin. Charity is mercy, sincerity is grace. This Principle says that you must ASSUME that, despite the weakness of their argument, your opponent TRULY DOES HAVE A SINCERE OBJECTION, and isn't just objecting for the sake of objection.

While most challengers aren't going to be sincerely pursuing intellectual exchange, you can't so easily discern between genuine arguments and superfluous ones. In prudence, you must then treat all your opponents as sincere. 

Usually, The Principle of Charity does a good job of weeding out debate from simple opposition. But, often times people present false theories as true, all but confident in there assessment. Ignorance is not evil. Effectively expressing knowledge is good. Assume they are sincere about their confusion, and approach the argument with genuine interest.