 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
In a practical political issue there are three kinds of dispute that may be involved. First: the dispute may be wholly as to means, and there may be no disagreement as to ends. Secondly: it may be held by one party that acts of certain kinds are inherently wicked, quite independently of their consequences, while the other party does not admit any such inherent wickedness. Thirdly: there may be a genuine difference as to the ends at which human actions should aim. In most actual political disputes these three grounds of disagreement are all present, but in a theoretical discussion it is important to keep them apart.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, (1954), chapter 8：Ethical Controversy
More info.:https://russell-j.com/cool/47T-0801.htm
* a brief comment: original text in Japanese, translated with DeepL.com (free version)
In practice, the three types of argument are often not distinguished, which often results in arguments that do not engage, and the argument does not allow for a better understanding or conclusion to be reached. Recently, there seems to be a tendency for people to boast and praise their 'argumentative' skills (if they can out argue their opponents anyway, they are competent).